[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 4, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H757]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 AWARD DORIS MILLER WITH MEDAL OF HONOR

  (Ms. JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History 
Month to recognize the life and legacy of Doris Miller.
  Miller was stationed on the USS West Virginia during the attack at 
Pearl Harbor. Once the attack began, Miller left his role in the 
kitchen to rescue shipmates and provide cover fire.
  News hit Waco, Texas, where I was a little girl, that said he helped 
to stop the U.S. invasion by the Japanese. Miller was awarded the Navy 
Cross for his heroics, though his actions unquestionably merited the 
Medal of Honor.
  I recently attended a ceremony at Pearl Harbor with the Acting 
Secretary of the Navy to announce the naming of the future aircraft 
carrier in his honor. This will be the first aircraft carrier named for 
an African American sailor. It is appreciated, but it is not the Medal 
of Honor.
  I have introduced H.R. 5549, the Doris Miller Medal of Honor Act of 
2020. This bill would waive the statute of limitations to upgrade 
Miller's Navy Cross to the Medal of Honor.

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