Ted Poe: “I have talked much on this House floor about our veterans, both those of today and those of the past. Tonight I mention…”

“I have talked much on this House floor about our veterans, both those of today and those of the past. Tonight I mention another one of them. Doris Miller was born in Waco, Texas, on October 12, 1919. He was the youngest of three sons born to Henrietta and Connery Miller. He was a good kid. He enjoyed playing with his brothers and was always helping around the house, especially in the kitchen. In school, Miller was a good student. He was also a fullback on the football team at A.J. Moore High School in Waco, Texas. They called him the raging bull because of his size. He was 5 foot 9, but he weighed over 200 pounds. Growing up, Miller worked on his father's farm until he enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 20 as a Mess Attendant, Third Class. He quickly advanced to Mess Attendant, Second Class and First Class, and subsequently he was promoted to Ship's Cook. After training at the Naval station at Norfolk, Virginia, he was assigned to the ammunition ship USS Pyro; and on January 2, 1940, Dorie, as his shipmates nicknamed him, was transferred to the battleship USS West Virginia. When he was not cooking he was boxing with his buddies, and he became the ship's heavyweight boxing champion. He was serving on the battleship West Virginia that December morning in 1941 when the Japanese surprise attack took place.…”