HJ0164 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0164 LRB099 23840 GRL 51360 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy launched a sneak attack on the American military base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; as enemy aircraft unleashed a maelstrom of bombs and bullets overhead, Doris "Dorie" Miller carried countless crew members to safety, including his ship's commanding officer, Captain Mervyn S. Bennion, who died in Miller's arms; and

WHEREAS, Doris Miller, the ship's cook, left the Captain's side and climbed into the ship's .50-caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun and began shooting down the attacking enemy planes until he ran out of ammunition; amazingly, Miller had never been trained on any anti-aircraft, artillery, or heavy gunnery equipment, due to Navy rules that disallowed African-Americans from being trained in combat roles; Miller was the first African-American to be awarded the distinguished Navy Cross, the Naval award second only to the Medal of Honor, for his actions; many schools, United States postage stamps, public parks, municipal buildings, and even a Navy destroyer have been named after Miller for his brave actions; and

WHEREAS, As an African-American who served his country at a time when the Jim Crow laws of the South imposed racial segregation and public lynchings of African-Americans desecrated the principles of justice and equality, Doris Miller's courage and selfless example inspired countless African-Americans to support the war effort; his heroic epic helped inspire over one-million African Americans to enlist in a segregated military, serving shoulder to shoulder as one nation in a separate but unequal landscape; Miller also toured the country while still assigned to ship duty to speak to Americans about the importance of service and duty, addressing the first African-American graduating class of the Great Lakes Naval Station before being marked as "missing in action" and "presumed dead" because he returned to ship duty; and

WHEREAS, Captain Mervyn Bennion was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in leading his men while fighting his last breaths, forcing out orders and directions despite mortal wounds to his stomach by torpedo shrapnel; although Doris Miller is widely known as the "Hero of Pearl Harbor" and 16 Naval service members have already been awarded the Medal of Honor for the Battle of Pearl Harbor alone, Doris Miller, in the face of his great acts of courage, has been overlooked for the Medal of Honor; and

WHEREAS, Doris Miller was killed on November 24, 1943 during the Battle of Makin Island while aboard the USS Liscome Bay after the ship was struck by a torpedo from a Japanese submarine; he was 24 years old; and

WHEREAS, Those brave men and women who make the ultimate sacrifice to defend this country deserve our respect and our deepest gratitude; Doris Miller is an American hero, the first African-American hero of World War II, and a shining example of what the Medal of Honor signifies; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the President of the United States to posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Doris "Dorie" Miller for his courageous actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the President of the United States.