# Doris Miller

Doris "Dorie" Miller (October 12, 1919 – November 24, 1943) was an American and United States Navy Cook Third Class who was killed in action during World War II. For attending to the wounded and manning an anti-aircraft machine gun, for which he had no training, while serving aboard a battleship during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, he was awarded the Navy Cross.He was the first black American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest decoration for valor awarded by the Navy, after the Medal of Honor. Miller's acts were heavily publicized in the black press, making him an iconic emblem of the war for black Americans. In 1943, he was killed while serving aboard the aircraft carrier Liscome Bay when it was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Battle of Makin.