MILFORD, Del. - The Milford Museum’s American History Series continues Saturday, Nov. 8, with Dorie Miller: Hero of Pearl Harbor, presented by Dante Brizill at 1 p.m. at the Milford Public Library.
Miller was a mess attendant aboard the USS West Virginia during the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. He helped move his mortally wounded captain to safety, then manned a machine gun and returned fire at attacking Japanese aircraft. In 1942, he became the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross.
Miller was killed in 1943 when the escort carrier USS Liscome Bay was sunk by a torpedo. He has been honored with multiple namesakes, including the USS Miller frigate, the Doris “Dorie” Miller Memorial Park in Waco, Texas, and, in 2020, the aircraft carrier USS Doris Miller (CVN-81).Â
Brizill is a 19-year social studies educator and author of the Greatness Under Fire series. He teaches at Polytech High School.
The program is part of a monthly series held the second Saturday of each month at 1 p.m. at the library. It is offered through a grant from the Delaware Heritage Commission.