Bill Text: TX HCR45 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled

---

Bill Title: Urging Congress to bestow the Congressional Medal of Honor on Doris "Dorie" Miller for his heroism during World War II.

Sponsorship: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)

Status: (Passed) 2017-05-29 - Signed by the Governor [HCR45 Detail]

Download: Texas-2017-HCR45-Enrolled.html

---

H.C.R. No. 45

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, During the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7,
1941, Petty Officer Doris Miller of the U.S. Navy demonstrated
valor above and beyond the call of duty, and he is long past due for
full recognition of his extraordinary courage and initiative on
that day; and
WHEREAS, A native of Texas, Doris "Dorie" Miller was born in
Waco on October 12, 1919, to Henrietta and Conery Miller; he was a
fullback on the football team at Moore High School in Waco, and he
went on to work on his father's farm; and
WHEREAS, In September 1939, Mr. Miller enlisted in the U.S.
Navy as a way to see the world and earn money for his family; at that
time, African Americans were only permitted to perform menial tasks
in the Navy, so Mr. Miller was trained as a mess attendant at the
Naval Training Station in Norfolk, Virginia; after a brief
assignment on the ammunition ship USS Pyro, he was transferred in
January 1940 to the battleship USS West Virginia, where he won
distinction among the crew as the ship's heavyweight boxing
champion; his rank at the time was mess attendant, second class; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Miller rose at 6 a.m. on the morning of December
7, 1941, and he was collecting laundry when the Japanese attack
began and the alarm for general quarters was sounded; even mess
attendants had a battle station, but Mr. Miller's, an antiaircraft
battery magazine, had already been destroyed by a torpedo, so he
went up on deck where, as the ship began to sink, he hauled wounded
shipmates through oil and water to safety on the quarterdeck; he was
then ordered to the bridge, where he picked up the ship's mortally
wounded captain and carried him to an aid station; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Miller then returned to the bridge, and on his
own initiative, he began firing a .50-caliber Browning antiaircraft
machine gun at the attacking Japanese planes; he had never trained
on the weapon, but, as he reported later, "It wasn't hard, I just
pulled the trigger and she worked fine"; with no concern for his own
safety, he continued firing until the gun's ammunition ran out,
possibly bringing down one of the enemy aircraft; in the meantime,
the West Virginia had been hit by five enemy torpedoes, and
Mr. Miller was finally forced to abandon ship with his surviving
crewmates; and
WHEREAS, In the aftermath of the attack, Mr. Miller was
commended by Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, and on May 27, 1942,
he became the first African American to receive the Navy Cross, the
service's second-highest honor, which was personally presented to
him by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, the commander of the Pacific
Fleet; he went on to serve on the USS Indianapolis and then the USS
Liscome Bay; that ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine on November
24, 1943, and though his body was never recovered, Mr. Miller was
eventually listed among the 646 sailors who died that day; at the
time of his death, his rank was cook, third class; and
WHEREAS, In the years since, Mr. Miller's actions have become
an important part of the legacy of Pearl Harbor; during the war, a
poster from the U.S. Office of War Information featured his image
and urged African Americans to join the war effort, and in 1973, a
Knox-class frigate was christened the USS Miller in his honor; in
1991, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority dedicated a bronze plaque to him at
the U.S. Naval Base in Pearl Harbor, and in 2001, he was portrayed
by the actor Cuba Gooding Jr. in the blockbuster film, Pearl Harbor;
more recently, his story has been featured prominently in the
National Museum of African American History and Culture in
Washington, D.C.; in addition to the Navy Cross, he was also
entitled to the Purple Heart, the American Defense Service Medal,
Fleet Clasp, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War
II Victory Medal; and
WHEREAS, In 1939, when the clouds of world war were gathering
in Europe and Asia, Dorie Miller chose to enlist in a Navy that did
not trust black men to serve in combat, and at a moment of direst
need, he picked up a weapon he had never used before and fought back
against a savage enemy, performing brilliantly and courageously
under fire in defense of his ship, his crewmates, and his nation;
his valiant service on that day, and afterwards, warrants the
highest honor that can be bestowed upon a member of the armed forces
of the United States; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby urge the United States Congress to bestow on Doris "Dorie"
Miller the Congressional Medal of Honor; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward official copies
of this resolution to the president of the United States, to the
secretary of the Navy, to the speaker of the House of
Representatives and the president of the Senate of the United
States Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to
Congress with the request that this resolution be officially
entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of
the United States of America.
White
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 45 was adopted by the House on April
27, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 145, Nays 0, 2 present, not
voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 45 was adopted by the Senate on May
19, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________
Date
__________________
Governor