I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1251 
To authorize the President to award the Medal of Honor to Doris Miller 
posthumously for acts of valor while a member of the Navy during 
World War II. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 28, 2023 
Mr. MFUME (for himself, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. 
VEASEY, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. NORTON, Ms. LEE 
of California, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. CARSON, Mr. PAYNE, 
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. DAVIS of 
Illinois, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. TITUS, 
Ms. BROWN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. THOMPSON of California, and Mr. 
CONNOLLY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To authorize the President to award the Medal of Honor 
to Doris Miller posthumously for acts of valor while 
a member of the Navy during World War II. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Doris Miller, like other African-American 
sailors of his day, was generally relegated to service- 
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based roles on ships, as the Navy did not allow sail-
ors of color to enlist in combat roles. 
(2) Doris Miller was acknowledged in the USS 
West Virginia Action Report, individually, along 
with other brave personnel for having ‘‘carried out 
every order promptly and enthusiastically, even when 
it meant danger to themselves. They did not attempt 
to abandon the bridge until ordered to do so’’. 
(3) Doris Miller aided other service members 
and ‘‘was instrumental in hauling people along 
through oil and water to the quarterdeck, thereby 
unquestionably saving the lives of a number of peo-
ple who might otherwise have been lost’’. 
(4) On December 15, 1941, the Navy released 
its commendations for actions in Pearl Harbor 
which included one ‘‘unnamed Negro’’. It wasn’t 
until March of 1942, at the behest of the NAACP, 
that the Navy formally recognized Miller’s heroism. 
(5) Doris Miller was recognized by the Navy 
and awarded the Navy Cross Medal with the citation 
reading ‘‘For distinguished devotion to duty, ex-
traordinary courage and disregard for his own per-
sonal safety during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl 
Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by Japanese forces on 
December 7, 1941. While at the side of his Captain 
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on the bridge, 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.’’. 
(6) On May 27, 1942, Admiral Chester Nimitz 
personally pinned the Navy Cross to Miller’s left 
breast pocket while on board the aircraft carrier 
USS Enterprise. 
(7) Doris Miller died in action on November 24, 
1943, on board the USS Liscome Bay in the Pacific 
Ocean after a single Japanese torpedo sank the ves-
sel off the coast of Butaritari Island. 
(8) Of the 15 sailors who were awarded the 
Medal of Honor for similar actions taken during the 
attack on Pearl Harbor, not one was African Amer-
ican. 
(9) Doris Miller deserves the highest honor the 
United States can bestow upon a member of the 
Armed Forces. 
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SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR POSTHUMOUS AWARD OF 
MEDAL OF HONOR TO DORIS MILLER FOR 
ACTS OF VALOR WHILE A MEMBER OF THE 
NAVY DURING WORLD WAR II. 
Notwithstanding the time limitations specified in sec-
tions 8298(a) and 8300 of title 10, United States Code, 
or any other time limitation with respect to the awarding 
of certain medals to persons who served in the Armed 
Forces, the President is authorized to award the Medal 
of Honor posthumously, under section 8291 of such title, 
to Doris Miller (service number 356–12–35) for acts of 
valor during World War II while a member of the Navy. 
Æ 
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