A Military 1st: A Supercarrier Is Named After An African American Sailor

Doris “Dorie” Miller, receiving the Navy Cross from Admiral Chester Nimitz, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, during a ceremony on board the USS Enterprise on May 27, 1942.

U.S. Navy photos courtesy of the National Archives

Military names can echo down through the ages, a fact underlined by the current fight in Washington, D.C., between President Trump and Congress, which has voted to strip the names of Confederate generals from several Southern Army bases.

The president has vowed that won’t happen, but the battle might not be resolved before election day.

The Navy, meanwhile, has quietly charted a new course. A supercarrier now on the drawing boards will be christened the USS Doris Miller.