Question: What Texan was the first African American to receive the Navy Cross?
Answer: Doris Miller. Born in Waco in 1919, he enlisted in the Navy in 1939 and was assigned the job of mess attendant. He was stationed aboard the USS West Virginia in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on Dec. 7, 1941. Seeing no one manning one of the ship’s anti-aircraft guns, he began firing at incoming aircraft. His heroism earned him the Navy’s highest award besides the Medal of Honor.
