First aircraft carrier named after African American sailor

By Ericka Conant

January 20, 2020 5:58 PM

Published January 20, 2020 5:56 PM

PEARL HARBOR, Hawai'i (KYMA, KECY) - The U.S. Navy has officially named its newest aircraft carrier after an African American sailor.

Fittingly, on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Doris "Dorie" Miller saved his shipmate's lives and fought valiantly against Japanese forces during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

For this he was awarded the Navy Cross.

Today, the USS Doris is named after him, marking Miller as the first African American to receive the honor.

Miller gave life for his country two years after the events of Pearl Harbor, when his ship was sunk during a battle in the Gilbert Islands.

In 1973 a US Navy Frigate was named in his honor. Today's ceremony continues that honor.

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Ericka Conant has served as a Digital Content Producer since October 2019. Originally from El Centro, she calls the Desert Southwest her home.

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