Doris Miller Remembered On A Postage Stamp

Doris Miller Remembered On A Postage Stamp

When Doris Miller, a mess attendant, began his service on the battleship West Virginia he probably did not envision himself as being an American war hero. But his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 easily afforded him that title.

Doris Miller is considered the first African American hero of World War II. During the attack by the Japanese, he rescued many of his shipmates that were wounded or trapped on the damaged ship. Although he was never trained to operate machinery, he also manned a machine gun and fired on approaching Japanese aircraft until he was ordered to abandon ship. His heroic efforts were portrayed by Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the blockbuster movie “Pearl Harbor” in 2001.

On February 4, 2010, the United States Postal Service paid tribute to Doris Miller and 3 other “Distinguished Sailors” by issuing postage stamps in their honor. The set features Doris Miller, William S. Sims, John McCloy, and Arleigh A. Burke. The dedication ceremony for the 44-cent postage stamp set was fittingly held at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, DC. See what's currently available for the Distinguished Service members postage stamps. We always offer free shipping to our US customers and $4.50 flat rate shipping to our international customers.

Mar 23rd 2016 Alex Birman

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