In an honor usually reserved for presidents, the U.S. Navy said Sunday that it would name a future Ford-class aircraft carrier after Doris "Dorie" Miller, the African American mess attendant who heroically leapt into combat — despite limited training — during Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
The aircraft carrier will be the first ever named for an African American and the second ship named in honor of Miller, the navy said in a statement. It will also be the first aircraft carrier to be named in honor of a sailor for actions while serving in the enlisted ranks, it added.
The future USS Doris Miller and other Ford-class carriers "will be the premier forward asset for crisis response and humanitarian relief, and early decisive striking power in a major combat operations," the statement said.
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