Purple Heart

Pearl Harbor: Dorie Miller

Doris Miller, known as "Dorie" to shipmates and friends, was born in Waco, Texas, on 12 October 1919, to Henrietta and Conery Miller. He had three brothers, one of which served in the Army during World War II. While attending Moore High School in Waco, he was a fullback on the football team. He worked on his father's farm before enlisting in the U.S Navy as Mess Attendant, Third Class, at Dallas, Texas, on 16 September 1939, to travel, and earn money for his family. He later was commended by the Secretary of the Navy, was advanced to Mess Attendant, Second Class and First Class, and subsequently was promoted to Cook, Third Class.

Following training at the Naval Training Station, Norfolk, Virginia, Miller was assigned to the ammunition ship USS Pyro (AE-1) where he served as a Mess Attendant, and on 2 January 1940 was transferred to USS West Virginia (BB-48), where he became the ship's heavyweight boxing champion. In July of that year he had temporary duty aboard USS Nevada (BB-36) at Secondary Battery Gunnery School. He returned to West Virginia and on 3 August, and was serving in that battleship when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Miller had arisen at 6 a.m., and was collecting laundry when the alarm for general quarters sounded. He headed for his battle station, the antiaircraft battery magazine amidship, only to discover that torpedo damage had wrecked it, so he went on deck. Because of his physical prowess, he was assigned to carry wounded fellow Sailors to places of greater safety. Then an officer ordered him to the bridge to aid the mortally wounded Captain of the ship. He subsequently manned a 50 caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun until he ran out of ammunition and was ordered to abandon ship.

Miller described firing the machine gun during the battle, a weapon which he had not been trained to operate: "It wasn't hard. I just pulled the trigger and she worked fine. I had watched the others with these guns. I guess I fired her for about fifteen minutes. I think I got one of those Jap planes. They were diving pretty close to us."

During the attack, Japanese aircraft dropped two armored piercing bombs through the deck of the battleship and launched five 18-inch aircraft torpedoes into her port side. Heavily damaged by the ensuing explosions, and suffering from severe flooding below decks, the crew abandoned ship while West Virginia slowly settled to the harbor bottom. Of the 1,541 men on West Virginia during the attack, 130 were killed and 52 wounded. Subsequently refloated, repaired, and modernized, the battleship served in the Pacific theater through to the end of the war in August 1945.

Miller was commended by the Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox on 1 April 1942, and on 27 May 1942 he received the Navy Cross, which Fleet Admiral (then Admiral) Chester W. Nimitz, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet personally presented to Miller on board aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) for his extraordinary courage in battle. Speaking of Miller, Nimitz remarked:

This marks the first time in this conflict that such high tribute has been made in the Pacific Fleet to a member of his race and I'm sure that the future will see others similarly honored for brave acts.

On 13 December 1941, Miller reported to USS Indianapolis (CA-35), and subsequently returned to the west coast of the United States in November 1942. Assigned to the newly constructed USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56) in the spring of 1943, Miller was on board that escort carrier during Operation Galvanic, the seizure of Makin and Tarawa Atolls in the Gilbert Islands. Liscome Bay's aircraft supported operations ashore between 20-23 November 1943. At 5:10 a.m. on 24 November, while cruising near Butaritari Island, a single torpedo from Japanese submarine I-175 struck the escort carrier near the stern. The aircraft bomb magazine detonated a few moments later, sinking the warship within minutes. Listed as missing following the loss of that escort carrier, Miller was officially presumed dead 25 November 1944, a year and a day after the loss of Liscome Bay. Only 272 Sailors survived the sinking of Liscome Bay, while 646 died.

In addition to the Navy Cross, Miller was entitled to the Purple Heart Medal; the American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; and the World War II Victory Medal.

Commissioned on 30 June 1973, USS Miller (FF-1091), a Knox-class frigate, was named in honor of Doris Miller.

On 11 October 1991, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority dedicated a bronze commemorative plaque of Miller at the Miller Family Park located on the U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor.

Source: Naval History and Heritage: http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq57-4.htm

 

Pearl Harbor: 1st Lt. Annie G. Fox

       

Featured Films--Paradise Road to The Purple Plain

Paradise Road (1997), Director: Bruce Beresford, Running time: 120 minutes.
In a time of war, an extraordinary group of women turned a song of hope into a symphony of triumph. From the director of "Driving Miss Daisy" comes a true story of courage, triumph, friendship and strength starring Glenn Close ("Dangerous Liaisons"), Oscar®-Winner Frances McDormand (1996 Best Actress, "Fargo") and Emmy Award Winner Julianna Margulies (TV's "ER"). This compelling drama reveals the heroic actions of a group of women held prisoner by the Japanese during World War ll. These diverse women from different countries, speaking different languages, unite to form a vocal orchestra-creating a life affirming symphony of human voices.  

 

Patton (1970), Director: Franklin J. Schaffner, Running time: 171 minutes.
A critically acclaimed film that won a total of eight 1970 Academy Awards (Including Best Picture), Patton is a riveting portrait of one of the 20th century's greatest military geniuses. One of it's Oscars went to George Patton, the only Allied general truly feared by the Nazis. Charismatic and Flamboyant, Patton designed his own uniforms, sported ivory-handled six-shooters, and believed he was a warrior in past lives. He out maneuvered Rommel in Africa, and after D-Day led his troops in an unstoppable campaign across Europe. But he was rebellious as well insight and poignancy, his own volatile personality was one enemy he could never defeat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qcq-OftnNhc



Pearl Harbor (2001), Director: Michael Bay, Running time: 183 minutes.
Director Michael Bay uses a tragic romantic triangle to set the stage for the infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in this epic tale of love, loss, and patriotism. When Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale), a beautiful Navy nurse, meets dashing ace Army fighter pilot Rafe (Ben Affleck), the two fall madly in love, only to be separated abruptly when he is called upon to help fight the war in Europe. Unforeseen circumstances lead Evelyn into the arms of Danny (Josh Hartnett), another fighter pilot and Rafe's best friend since childhood. In the meantime, the Japanese military is planning the surprise early morning raid on Hawaii that will pull the United States into World War II. Spectacular special effects vividly recreate the attack in devastating detail as bombs explode, torpedoes shoot through the water, and bullets fly, shaking tranquil Pearl Harbor to its core.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr6pVUv9cJQ

 


The Pianist (2002), Director: Roman Polanski, Running time: 150 minutes.
Nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and winner of 3, The Pianist stars Oscar winner Adrien Brody in the true-life story of brilliant pianist and composer Wladyslaw Szpilman, the most acclaimed young musician of his time until his promising career was interrupted by the onset of World War II. This powerful, ultimately triumphant film follows Szpilman s heroic and inspirational journey of survival with the unlikely help from a sympathetic German officer (Thomas Kretschmann). A truly unforgettable epic, testifying to both the power of hope and the resiliency of the human spirit, The Pianist is a miraculous tale of survival masterfully brought to life by visionary filmmaker Roman Polanski in his most personal movie ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itR0-I9idXk

 


Piece of Cake (1988), Director: Ian Toynton, Running time: 52 minutes per episode, six episodes.
These Masterpiece Theater series tells the stories of the men of the RAF Hornet Squadron during the early days of World War II.

 

Play Dirty (1969), Director: Andre de Toth, Running time: 113 minutes.
Two soldiers are given the task of destroying an oil dump on the coast in order to stop Rommel's progress across North Africa.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lku4K1e0sz8

 

Pride (1998), Director: Shunya Ito, Running time: 50 minutes per episode (11 episodes).
Few films made in Japan have created such international outrage as Shunya Ito's Pride -- an affectionate biopic on that country's most notorious prime minister, Hideki Tojo, who was hanged in 1948 during the Tokyo trials for war crimes. Funded by ultra right-wing investors, this film struck many in China and Korea—two countries on the receiving end of much of Japanese war crimes—as close to a deliberate provocation, especially since Japan has yet to officially come clean about such wartime atrocities as the Rape of Nanking or the murderous Unit 731. Instead of the incarnation of evil that U.S. propaganda portrayed him as, Tojo, played by Masahiko Tsugawa, is presented as being a brilliant leader, a passionate nationalist, and a loving family man. His goal was not the subjection of Asia under a Japanese empire, but to cast off the yolk of Western colonialism. American prosecutor Joseph Keenan (Scott Wilson) is seen as shrill, ignorant, and scheming, while Indian judge Radhabinod Pal as the sole dissenting jurist is the film's only non-Japanese hero. (Jonathan Crow for All Movie Guide)

 


Private Buckaroo (1942), Director: Edward Cline, Running time: 68 minutes.
Singer Lon Prentice’s (Dick Foran) efforts at joining the army finally pay off when he is enlisted along with Harry James (himself) and his band of musicians. Also in the uniform are the famed Andrew Sisters (Maxene, Patty & Laverne Andrews) . Together they put on a musical feast that was intended to boost the morale of the United States troops during World War II.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdJjfdbRjCM

 

The Prosecution (A Vad) (1970), Director: Sandor Sara, Running time: 83 minutes.
Loosely based on a true story, this wrenching historical drama is filled with the filmmaker Sandor Sara's rage at the terrifying effects the Red Army invasion of the mid '40s had upon his country. Featuring graphic brutality, the story centers upon a single peasant family and begins as Peter returns home on a 24-hour furlough from the Hungarian army. Once there, his family pleads with him until he agrees to desert, and he hides when his troopmates come looking for him. Soon victorious Russian troops burst into the area and promptly pillage the farm. Later on, some of the Russians return to rape Peter's sisters. Peter uses his revolver to kill one of the soldiers and wound the other. Unfortunately, this brings the cruel Russian officer back to hold an informal tribunal, a proceeding that results in even more horrific tragedy.  (Sandra Brennan for All Movie Guide)

 

PT 109 (1963), Director: Leslie H. Martinson, Running time: 141 minutes.
John F. Kennedy lived long enough to see this Hollywood account of his Navy career and his heroism following a ruthless attack by a Japanese ship on his small patrol craft. Cliff Robertson is an amiable choice to play Kennedy, though one won't find a lot of the late president's mannerisms in his performance. The key battle sequence, which finds Kennedy and his crew bloodied and battered while trying to stay alive in shark-infested waters, makes a big impression on young viewers.  (Tom Keogh for Amazon.com)

 

Purple Heart (1944), Director: Lewis Milestone, Running time: 100 minutes.
One of Hollywood's most striking films of World War II has very little war in it, yet it whips up a fearsome power. A U.S. bomber that took part in the Doolittle raid on Tokyo crash-lands in Japanese-occupied China afterward. Captured, the officers and crew are hauled before a Japanese court and tried for war crimes. The trial is illegal and stacked against the Americans from the outset. But that doesn't stop it from developing into a fierce duel of nerves and icy politesse, especially between the U.S. commander (Dana Andrews) and the Japanese general (Richard Loo), who is the chief architect of the strategy to break the Americans and learn how the raid was carried out.  (Richard T. Jameson for Amazon.com)

 

The Purple Plain (1954), Director: Robert Parrish, Running time: 102 minutes.
Academy Award winner Gregory Peck gives a "commanding and convincing" (Citizen-News) performance in "exotic" (Mirror-News) World War II drama. An "engrossing" (Citizen-News) and "visually alluring" (LA Examiner) film full of harrowing suspense, The Purple Plain is "something everyone should see" (LA Daily News). After his wife is killed during the Blitz, Forrester (Peck) is bent on achieving one thing in the war: his death. But when his plane crash-lands in enemy territory, he realizes that he must save himself in order to guide his two injured companions to safety. As they cross the Burmese desert with no food and little water, Forrester's will to live grows stronger than ever.