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

September 29, 2020 5:01 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition

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.

Doris “Dorie” Miller, U.S. Navy mess attendant 2nd class, became one of the first American heroes of World War II for his actions during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
U.S. Navy/National Archives

It’s the first supercarrier to be named for an enlisted sailor and the first to be named after an African American.

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