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December 7, 1941, began as a sleepy Sunday at Pearl Harbor, the United States naval base on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Dorie Miller, a sailor aboard the battleship USS West Virginia, rose early and went about his morning tasks. As a mess attendant, Miller served food and cleaned tables in the officers’ dining hall. He made extra cash shining officers’ shoes and doing laundry.
The job of messman amounted to little more than being a servant. Miller was Black—and because of this, the U.S. Navy wouldn’t let him join at a higher rank. Black sailors could not become officers or be trained for combat. In units where they were allowed to serve, they were largely
Yet on that fateful December day at Pearl Harbor, which would prompt the U.S. to enter World War II (1939-1945), Miller’s incredible acts of bravery would start to change all that. His selfless choices would help lead to