Miller became the first African American to receive the Navy Cross, presented by Admiral Chester Nimitz aboard USS Enterprise for his valor at Pearl Harbor.
On May 27, 1942, Doris Miller was awarded the Navy Cross, the U.S. Navy's third-highest decoration for combat valor, in recognition of his heroism during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The medal was personally presented to him by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in Pearl Harbor.
Miller was the first African American sailor ever to receive the Navy Cross, a milestone of enormous symbolic importance during an era when the U.S. military remained rigidly segregated and Black servicemen were routinely denied recognition and advancement regardless of merit. Nimitz's citation praised Miller's "distinguished devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal safety."
The award followed a sustained public campaign by the Black press, including the Pittsburgh Courier and NAACP leaders, who pushed the Navy to recognize Miller's actions and used his story to highlight the hypocrisy of a segregated fighting force. The Navy Cross elevated Miller to national hero status, and his image was later used in Navy recruitment and propaganda posters. His recognition became a rallying point for civil rights advocates pressing for full integration of the armed forces, a goal partially realized when President Truman signed Executive Order 9981 in 1948 desegregating the military.