Doris Miller’s Navy Cross citation

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY CROSS to

DORIS MILLER,
MESS ATTENDANT FIRST CLASS,
U.S. NAVY

for service as set forth in the following

CITATION:

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Doris Miller, Mess Attendant First Class, U.S. Navy, for exceptional courage, presence of mind, and devotion to duty and disregard for his personal safety while serving on board the Battleship U.S.S. WEST VIRGINIA (BB-48), during the Japanese attack on the United States Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, on 7 December 1941. While at the side of his Captain on the bridge of the battleship U.S.S. WEST VIRGINIA, Mess Attendant First Class Doris Miller, despite enemy strafing and bombing and in the face of a serious fire, assisted in moving his Captain, who had been mortally wounded, to a place of greater safety, and later manned and operated a machine gun directed at enemy Japanese attacking aircraft until ordered to leave the bridge. The conduct of Mess Attendant First Class Miller throughout this action reflects great credit upon himself, and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.