Receiving any service medal is an accomplishment for anyone, but the Navy Cross requires some of the highest levels of bravery and valor. Doris Miller Becomes the First Black Sailor To Receive the Navy Cross Thankfully, he was not only ready but also proved himself more than capable. The Naval base had become a warzone, and like many others, Doris Miller was ready to defend his country. The man most known for his ability to work on the cook line sprung into action. Miller would survive the attack and played a part in stifling it. and cause service members to answer the call of entering a world war they had been trying to avoid. The surprise attack would blindside the U.S.

Nobody expected the attack, a key element in Isoroku Yamamoto’s plan to attack Pearl Harbor. While serving aboard the USS West Virginia, Messman Doris Miller would survive the attack from Japan as torpedo bombers sunk the ship. Navy cook third class who served America from 1939 until 1943.

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His bravery would lead him to some of the highest honors a Sailor can earn and break racial barriers during a less-than-enlightened period of U.S. But the attack on Pearl Harbor changed everything, and instead of preparing food and measuring seasonings, United States Naval Serviceman Doris Miller would find himself manning a machine gun to take down planes sent from Japan to destroy the Naval base. The Second World War was raging in Europe, but America had not yet entered the war. On December 7, 1941, Doris Miller expected, like many other Americans, to wake up and head to his job as a cook.

Black navy wars