Bill Text: VA HJR266 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the life and legacy of Cook Petty Officer Third Class Doris Miller, USN.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-06 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ266ER) [HJR266 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HJR266-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, a native of Texas, Cook Petty Officer Third Class Doris Miller, USN, enlisted in the United States Navy in 1939 to help support his family; and
WHEREAS, after completing his training at Naval Station Norfolk, Doris "Dorie" Miller was assigned to the USS Pyro (AE-1) as a mess attendant; he subsequently served aboard the USS West Virginia (BB-48), where he was renowned for his physical prowess and became the ship's heavyweight boxing champion; and
WHEREAS, Dorie Miller distinguished himself by performing selfless acts of heroism on December 7, 1941, when the battleship USS West Virginia was attacked at Pearl Harbor, an attack in which the ship received two armor piercing bombs through the deck and was struck on the port side by five aircraft-launched torpedoes; and
WHEREAS, Dorie Miller was assigned to carry wounded sailors to places of greater safety and was directed to the exposed bridge, where he helped provide aid to the mortally wounded captain of the ship; and
WHEREAS, despite having no anti-aircraft training, Dorie Miller manned a machine gun battery to defend the ship and crew against incoming Japanese planes; he remained at the battery until all ammunition was expended and was reported to have shot down several enemy aircraft; and
WHEREAS, on May 27, 1942, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, presented the Navy Cross to Dorie Miller for his extraordinary courage in battle; he was the first Black American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the highest decoration for valor presented by the United States Navy; and
WHEREAS, in November 1943, Dorie Miller was killed while serving aboard the USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56), an escort carrier, when it was struck by a Japanese torpedo and sunk with over two-thirds of the crew lost, during the Battle of Makin in the Gilbert Islands, the deadliest sinking of a carrier in the history of the United States Navy; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of the heroic actions of Dorie Miller, the United States Navy commissioned the USS Miller (DE-1091), a Knox-class destroyer escort in June 1973 with the ship's motto "Courage-Devotion"; the USS Miller served the nation until it was decommissioned in October 1991; and
WHEREAS, in remembrance of Dorie Miller's heroic actions, CVN-81, a Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier scheduled to be commissioned in 2032, has been named the USS Doris Miller, marking the first time that an aircraft carrier has been named for a Black American, and the first time a sailor has been so honored for actions taken as an enlisted man; and
WHEREAS, American Legion Post 194, established in Arlington in 1946, was named for Dorie Miller to honor his legacy of service and sacrifice in defense of the nation, and several other posts around the country also bear his name; and
WHEREAS, Dorie Miller American Legion posts throughout the United States commemorate Dorie Miller's life and service on October 12 each year, and Virginians are encouraged to take the opportunity to learn more about his valorous deeds and historic accomplishments; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commemorate the life and legacy of Cook Petty Officer Third Class Doris Miller, USN, the first Black American to be awarded the Navy Cross; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to American Legion Dorie Miller Post 194 in Arlington as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for Doris Miller's heroic achievements in service to the United States.
