1-1                                     1                                  
 1-2                         SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1206
 1-3           WHEREAS, World War II hero Doris "Dorie" Miller exhibited
 1-4     unparalleled courage during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and this
 1-5     bravery has not received the just honors and recognition it merits;
 1-6     and
 1-7           WHEREAS, A native Texan, Dorie was born in Waco in 1919
 1-8     and enlisted in the United States Navy in 1939; and
 1-9           WHEREAS, Dorie's ship, the USS West Virginia was among
1-10     those attacked in the early morning of December 7, 1941; and
1-11           WHEREAS, With little regard for his own personal safety,
1-12     the 22-year-old Dorie assisted his mortally wounded captain out
1-13     of the line of fire to shelter; and
1-14           WHEREAS, While struggling back to the bridge amid heavy
1-15     fire and detonating bombs, Dorie came upon a machine gun whose
1-16     gunner had been killed; although Dorie had never been trained
1-17     to use the weapon, he began firing at the Japanese planes with
1-18     telling effect and continued firing until the crew was ordered
1-19     to abandon the ship; and
1-20           WHEREAS, For his heroism on board the West Virginia,
1-21     Dorie Miller received the Navy Cross, the United States Navy's
1-22     highest honor, from Admiral Chester Nimitz during a ceremony
 2-1     on the flight deck of the USS Enterprise at Pearl Harbor on
 2-2     May 27, 1942; Dorie was the first African American to receive
 2-3     the award; and
 2-4           WHEREAS, Later assigned to the USS Liscome Bay in the
 2-5     Pacific, Dorie was on board on November 24, 1943, when the light
 2-6     aircraft carrier was sunk by a submarine; 272 sailors survived
 2-7     but 646 were lost, and Dorie was officially presumed dead a year
 2-8     and a day after the carrier went down; and
 2-9           WHEREAS, Citizens across the State of Texas believe that
2-10     Dorie Miller should be awarded the highest honor that a member of
2-11     the United States Armed Forces can receive, the Congressional Medal
2-12     of Honor; a man of great gallantry, Dorie Miller is entitled to the
2-13     respect and gratitude of our nation; now, therefore, be it
2-14           RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
2-15     77th Legislature, hereby respectfully request the Congress of
2-16     the United States of America to bestow on Doris Miller the
2-17     Congressional Medal of Honor; and, be it further
2-18           RESOLVED, That the Secretary of the Senate forward
2-19     official copies of this Resolution to the President of the
2-20     United States, to the President of the Senate and the Speaker
2-21     of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress,
2-22     and to all the members of the Texas delegation to the Congress
2-23     with the request that this Resolution be officially entered
2-24     into the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of
 3-1     the United States of America.
 3-2           Armbrister           Gallegos            Shapiro
 3-3           Barrientos           Harris              Shapleigh
 3-4           Bernsen              Haywood             Sibley
 3-5           Bivins               Jackson             Staples
 3-6           Brown                Lindsay             Truan
 3-7           Cain                 Lucio               Van de Putte
 3-8           Carona               Madla               Wentworth
 3-9           Duncan               Moncrief            West
3-10           Ellis                Nelson              Whitmire
3-11           Fraser               Ogden               Zaffirini
3-12                      Ratliff, President of the Senate
3-13                                  ______________________________________
3-14                                          President of the Senate
3-15                                       I hereby certify that the above
3-16                                  Resolution was adopted by the Senate
3-17                                  on May 25, 2001.
3-18                                  ______________________________________
3-19                                          Secretary of the Senate