Navy to name carrier after A-A sailor

The aircraft carrier is the symbol of American power: 90,000 tons of diplomacy, the Navy likes to say. Almost all are named after presidents - Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Reagan, Truman, Eisenhower, Bush, Ford, Kennedy - until Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly broke with tradition by naming a future carrier after Petty Officer Third Class Doris “Dorie” Miller - the grandson of slaves and a son of sharecroppers. The Mess Attendant from Waco, Texas, served aboard the battleship West Virginia on Dec. 7, 1941, along "Battleship Row" in Pearl Harbor. Miller had finished serving breakfast when the West Virginia was hit by nine Japanese torpedoes and two bombs. Miller was ordered to the bridge to evacuate the ship's captain, who lay mortally wounded. As the air attack continued, against all rules, Miller manned a .50-caliber anti-aircraft machine gun and fired on the Japanese planes. He also helped carry and move injured sailors to safety. He initially wasn’t identified while others received medals. Years, later, President Roosevelt stepped in an awarded him the Navy Cross – the first ever for an African-American (A-A) sailor. The Navy’s official announcement is Jan. 20, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, at Pearl Harbor. (Source: CBS 011/19/20) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/next-u-s-navy-aircraft-carrier-to-be-named-after-african-american-pearl-harbor-hero-doris-miller/