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Waco in McLennan County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
 

Doris Miller

October 12, 1919 - November 25, 1943

 
 
Doris Miller Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, August 11, 2010
1. Doris Miller Marker
Inscription.
Doris (Dorie) Miller was reared on a farm in McClennan County, Texas, and attended Waco’s A.J. Moore High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the battleship “USS West Virginia” in 1940. The “West Virginia” was docked in Pearl Harbor when it was struck by a Japanese torpedo on December 7, 1941.

Moments after the torpedo hit, an explosion on a nearby ship showered the “West Virginia” deck with burning debris and flaming oil. Miller helped move his wounded captain to safety, then maneuvered through the flame-swept deck and took over a machine gun position. Though never trained as an aerial gunner, he confidently shot down four enemy aircraft.

Miller reacted with such extraordinary skill and bravery in the defense of his ship that he became the first African American to receive the Navy Cross. Fellow Texan, Admiral Chester Nimitz awarded him the Navy Cross on May 7, 1942. Miller died when his ship, the “USS Liscombe Bay,” was torpedoed in 1943. The destroyer “USS Miller” was named in his honor in 1973.

Miller, posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and honored by associations, cemeteries, parks, naval bases, and other organizations across the nation, is credited with helping break down the color barrier in the Navy.
 
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1993 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 1255.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African AmericansCivil RightsWar, World IIWaterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Distinguished Service Cross/Navy Cross/Air Force Cross Recipients, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1893.
 
Location. 31° 34.313′ N, 97° 7.31′ W. Marker is in Waco, Texas, in McLennan County. Marker is on Garrison Street east of Chestnut Street. Marker is at the northeast corner of the Doris Miller Family YMCA facility at "Quinn Campus". Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1020 Elm St, Waco TX 76704, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Paul Quinn College (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Westley United Methodist Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Toliver Chapel Baptist Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Going Up The Chisholm Trail (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Waco Suspension Bridge (approx. ¾ mile away); Washington Avenue Bridge at Brazos River (approx. ¾ mile away); McLennan County Gulf War, Iraq War, and War in Afghanistan Memorial
Doris Miller Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, August 8, 2010
2. Doris Miller Marker
The panel on the ground reads: "A gift from the citizens of Waco back to the community" referring to the comprehensive YMCA facility, erected in 2005.
(approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Waco.
 
More about this marker. Note that the marker was moved from its original location (outside the YMCA's former East Waco facility at 1021 E. Live Oak St.) to its present site in 2005.
 
Also see . . .  Doris Miller. (Submitted on August 20, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
 
Additional keywords. messman, YMCA of Central Texas; Paul Quinn College.
 
The Doris Miller Family YMCA at "Quinn Campus" image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, August 8, 2010
3. The Doris Miller Family YMCA at "Quinn Campus"
- marker is visible in front of the grey wall, center right.
"Quinn Campus, Inc." image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, August 8, 2010
4. "Quinn Campus, Inc."
- one of the remaining buildings from the Paul Quinn College's Waco campus (encompassed by Garrison, Chestnut, Rose, and Elm Streets prior to the school's relocation to Dallas in 1990) near the Doris Miller Family YMCA and other new facilities in the Quinn Campus, Inc. redevelopment area.
U.S.Postal Service Distinguished Sailor Stamp (2010) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By U.S. Postal Service
5. U.S.Postal Service Distinguished Sailor Stamp (2010)
Doris "Dorie" Miller, Officer's Cook 3rd Class, U.S. Navy.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 12, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 20, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,224 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 20, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.   5. submitted on August 22, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024