Autobiography of a Hero
One of the things I genuinely love about my own old time radio journey, is some of the history I have learned over the years.
Today was another one of those days. I was listening to a show from Destination Freedom, called Autobiography of a Hero. It's a story about one of the first heroes of World War II, Dorie Miller, who was a Texan born mess attendant.
Doris Miller, known as 'Dorie' to his shipmates in the U.S. Navy, was a humble seaman from humble origins who became a legend and an inspiration to America’s black community during the war.
He was born in Waco, Texas on October 12, 1919 to Conery and Henrietta Miller who were farmers. He attended Waco’s Moore High School, where he was a stand-out fullback on the football team. However, he dropped out of school, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 20. He began his Navy career as a mess attendant, assigned to the USS West Virginia, stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
As an African American, there were few positions available in the Navy, and certainly no combat roles or weaponry training, which makes this incredible story of extraordinary courage all the more remarkable.
On December 7th, 1941, Dorie was aboard the USS West Virginia, when the ship was subjected to a surprise attack from Japanese forces. He made his way from below deck and was greeted with the terrifying sight of Japanese fighter planes attacking US Naval forces, and the harbor already engulfed in flames.
The captain of the USS West Virginia was mortally wounded, but Miller pulled him and several other crewmates to safety under heavy enemy fire. Once they were out of harm's way, he returned to the bridge, secured an unattended anti-aircraft gun, and began firing at the Japanese warplanes. He'd had no previous training in operating the weapon, but managed to shoot down several aircraft, firing until he ran out of ammunition and was ordered to abandon ship.
His extraordinary courage on December 7th unquestionably saved the lives of crewmates who might otherwise have been lost, and brought him the U.S. Navy Cross for valour - the first African American to win the award.
Japan finally surrendered to the U.S. aboard the USS Missouri in 1945, ending World War II, six years and one day after it began.
Many of us have elderly family or friends who were involved in the attack on Pearl Harbor, or who enlisted in the immediate aftermath, and on the anniversary of the tragedy at Pearl Harbor this week, we honor the courage and sacrifice of those men and women.