Dorie Miller, American War Hero

Dorie Miller was born in 1919 and died in 1943. He played high school football for  AJ Moore High School, and was the star fullback.  He was  an African-American cook aboard the USS West Virginia. During the attack on Pearl Harbor he shot down two planes, and became the first African American to receive the US Navy Cross award. He met his maker on November 24, 1943 in the Gilbert Islands, when his ship, the Liscome Bay, was torpedoed by Japanese submarines. It is completely appropriate that we are named after him since he was hardworking, strong, and brave, which are qualities we all want to have.