b'D orisMillersstoryisoismduringtheJapanesenaval oneofgrit,determi- attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on nationandfortitude.December 7, 1941. BorninWaco,Texas,A fullback on his high school foot-in 1919, Miller servedballteam,heenlistedSeptember intheUnitedStatesNavydur- 16, 1939, to travel and earn money ing World War II, rising from theforhisfamily.Hewastrainedas ratingofMessAttendanttoPettyaMessAttendantattheNaval Offi cer,ShipsCookThirdClass.TrainingStationinNorfolk,Va., He was the fi and was serving aboard the battle- rst African American to receive the Navy Cross, whichshipUSSWestVirginia(BB-48) wasawardedtohimforhisher- when the Japanese attacked.TileLetter | April 2020 43'