Bitter Sweet

The key positions were not an option in those days for blacks, so my position was in the Steward Department. My first time out to sea, the ship was sent to Pearl Harbor. We were to load supplies for the different ships because we were the supplier for the different ships in the Pacific Ocean. Every port we went to we had the escorts for guarding the supply ships. While the ships were being unloaded, we in the steward department would be preparing to serve the meals that the cooks would make.
In the event of being in hostile waters the general alarm would sound to put us all on alert and we would have to go and man the anti-aircraft Stewart mate guns. This was the only time a Messman or Steward was allowed to do something of major importance is when this alarm sounded. Dorie Miller, Messman aboard the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor, untrained and unassigned to anti-aircraft guns, took it upon himself to man the gun and shot down four Japanese planes and this caused the change in opening the door for Stewards and Messmen to man anti-aircraft guns.
He was awarded the Navy Cross for heroism and became America’s first hero of World War II. And because of his heroism, an elementary school was named after him which is currently located in Houston Heights. While working for HISD, I worked at Dorie Miller Elementary as an Electrician, where I recognized his picture there as one of my Naval comrades.
 After this act of heroism by Dorie Miller, I, still a Messman, was assigned as Gun Captain and did gun watch duty at night when I boarded the USS Aldeberan AF10. Thanks to the actions of this great hero, it allowed some of us to be assigned to more important duties. I ran across an article in a magazine about Dorie and I want to share his story with you.