1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Doris Miller Congressional Gold Medal Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Doris Miller, like other African-American sailors of his day, was generally relegated to service-based roles on ships, as the Navy did not allow sailors of color to enlist in combat roles. (2) On December 7, 1941, Doris Miller was serving aboard the USS West Virginia in Hawaii when Japanese torpedo bombers attacked his ship and others at the Pearl Harbor Naval Base—headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. During this infamous attack, Doris Miller manned a gun magazine amidships. When a torpedo damaged the magazine, Doris Miller helped carry the wounded to safety, including his ship’s commander, Captain Mervyn S. Bennion. Doris Miller then manned a .50 caliber antiaircraft gun, for which he had no training, and continued firing on the enemy until he ran out of ammunition and received the order to abandon ship. (3) Doris Miller was acknowledged in the USS West Virginia Action Report, individually, along with other brave personnel for having carried out every order promptly and enthusiastically, even when it meant danger to themselves. They did not attempt to abandon the bridge until ordered to do so. . (4) Doris Miller aided other service members and was instrumental in hauling people along through oil and water to the quarterdeck, thereby unquestionably saving the lives of a number of people who might otherwise have been lost. . (5) On December 15, 1941, the Navy released its commendations for actions in Pearl Harbor which included one unnamed Negro . It wasn’t until March of 1942, at the behest of the NAACP, that the Navy formally recognized Miller’s heroism. (6) Doris Miller was recognized by the Navy and awarded the Navy Cross Medal with the citation reading For distinguished devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal safety during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. While at the