Bill Text: IL HJR0164 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urges the President of the United States to posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Doris "Dorie" Miller for his courageous actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-11-16 - Referred to Rules Committee [HJR0164 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2015-HJR0164-Introduced.html

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy launched a
sneak attack on the American military base at Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii; as enemy aircraft unleashed a maelstrom of bombs and
bullets overhead, Doris "Dorie" Miller carried countless crew
members to safety, including his ship's commanding officer,
Captain Mervyn S. Bennion, who died in Miller's arms; and
WHEREAS, Doris Miller, the ship's cook, left the Captain's
side and climbed into the ship's .50-caliber Browning
anti-aircraft machine gun and began shooting down the attacking
enemy planes until he ran out of ammunition; amazingly, Miller
had never been trained on any anti-aircraft, artillery, or
heavy gunnery equipment, due to Navy rules that disallowed
African-Americans from being trained in combat roles; Miller
was the first African-American to be awarded the distinguished
Navy Cross, the Naval award second only to the Medal of Honor,
for his actions; many schools, United States postage stamps,
public parks, municipal buildings, and even a Navy destroyer
have been named after Miller for his brave actions; and
WHEREAS, As an African-American who served his country at a
time when the Jim Crow laws of the South imposed racial
segregation and public lynchings of African-Americans
desecrated the principles of justice and equality, Doris

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Miller's courage and selfless example inspired countless
African-Americans to support the war effort; his heroic epic
helped inspire over one-million African Americans to enlist in
a segregated military, serving shoulder to shoulder as one
nation in a separate but unequal landscape; Miller also toured
the country while still assigned to ship duty to speak to
Americans about the importance of service and duty, addressing
the first African-American graduating class of the Great Lakes
Naval Station before being marked as "missing in action" and
"presumed dead" because he returned to ship duty; and
WHEREAS, Captain Mervyn Bennion was posthumously awarded
the Medal of Honor for his actions in leading his men while
fighting his last breaths, forcing out orders and directions
despite mortal wounds to his stomach by torpedo shrapnel;
although Doris Miller is widely known as the "Hero of Pearl
Harbor" and 16 Naval service members have already been awarded
the Medal of Honor for the Battle of Pearl Harbor alone, Doris
Miller, in the face of his great acts of courage, has been
overlooked for the Medal of Honor; and
WHEREAS, Doris Miller was killed on November 24, 1943
during the Battle of Makin Island while aboard the USS Liscome
Bay after the ship was struck by a torpedo from a Japanese
submarine; he was 24 years old; and

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WHEREAS, Those brave men and women who make the ultimate
sacrifice to defend this country deserve our respect and our
deepest gratitude; Doris Miller is an American hero, the first
African-American hero of World War II, and a shining example of
what the Medal of Honor signifies; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the President of the
United States to posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Doris
"Dorie" Miller for his courageous actions during the attack on
Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
delivered to the President of the United States.