He Became a Hero in Minutes — and Spent a Lifetime Buried by History

Описание: On December 7, 1941, as Japanese aircraft tore through Pearl Harbor, one man defied every rule, every order, and every expectation. Mess Attendant Second Class Doris “Dorie” Miller wasn’t supposed to fight. He was a cook — a Black sailor in a segregated Navy. But when his ship, the USS West Virginia, was hit, Miller dragged his mortally wounded captain to safety… then manned a .50-caliber gon he had never been trained to use — firing until his ammunition ran dry.

That morning, he became one of America’s first true heroes of World War II. Yet for decades, his name was buried by policy and prejudice. His story disappeared from headlines, omitted from history books, and forgotten by the very nation he risked everything to defend.

This documentary uncovers the truth behind the Navy’s most uncomfortable legend — the hero they tried to erase. From the chaos of Pearl Harbor to the long fight for recognition, this is the story of courage, silence, and delayed justice that shook the heart of a nation.

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SOURCES & CITATIONS
Primary Historical Sources:
Naval History and Heritage Command: Official after-action reports from USS West Virginia, December 7, 1941
National Archives: Doris Miller service records, commendation letters, promotion records
Navy Cross Citation: Official citation dated May 27, 1942
Pittsburgh Courier: March 14, 1942 front-page identification of Miller
Secretary of Navy Frank Knox: April 9, 1942 letter to House Committee on Naval Affairs

Published Memoirs & Historical Accounts:
Wallin, Homer N. Pearl Harbor: Why, How, Fleet Salvage and Final Appraisal. Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1968
Chester, Robert K. "'Negroes' Number One Hero': Doris Miller, Pearl Harbor, and Retroactive Multiculturalism in World War II Remembrance." American Quarterly, Vol. 65, No. 1 (March 2013), pp. 31-61
Hull, Michael D. "A Black Hero's Courage Under Fire." Naval History Magazine, February 2016

Military Documentation:
USS West Virginia Casualty Reports: 106 k!lled in action, December 7, 1941
USS Liscome Bay Loss Report: November 24, 1943, 644 presumed de@d including Miller
Navy Department Medal of Honor Review: 1988-1989 and 1996 studies on Miller's case
Army War College Study (1940): On African-American service capabilities

Contemporary News Sources:
Associated Press: March 12, 1942 identification of Miller
Pittsburgh Courier: Coverage from January 1942 through November 1943
Chicago Defender, The Militant, Atlanta Daily World: Contemporary civil rights press coverage
CBS Radio Series: "They Live Forever" (April 2, 1942) and "Columbia Presents Corwin" (April 25, 1944)

Government Records:
Senate Resolution 2392 and House Resolution 6800: Bills introduced 1942 to award Miller Medal of Honor
Executive Order 9981 (1948): Truman's military desegregation order
Navy Department Circular Letters: Regarding racial policies 1941-1943
Modern Research:
Ramsey, Paul: Independent research on WWII Medal of Honor recipients (1987-present)
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency: Pearl Harbor casualty identification project
Congressional Research Service: Medal of Honor racial disparity studies (1990s-2000s)

Archival Collections:
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: Lawrence D. Reddick correspondence
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Archives: Pearl Harbor hero campaign
Texas Collection, Baylor University: Miller family and Waco community records
Naval Training Station Great Lakes: January 7, 1943 Miller speech records
Official Navy Announcements:
January 20, 2020: USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) aircraft carrier naming
June 30, 1973: USS Miller (FF-1091) frigate commissioning
May 27, 1942: Navy Cross presentation ceremony records

Academic Studies:
Comprehensive review of Pearl Harbor Medal of Honor citations vs. Navy Cross citations
Statistical analysis of racial disparities in military decorations 1941-1945
Historical analysis of Navy segregation policies and their evolution