Commentary: Dorie Miller is my hero
6/12/2001 NOTE: A head-and-shoulders photograph of the Rev. Sheron Patterson is available.
A UMNS Commentary By The Rev. Sheron C. Patterson* Thanks to the summer blockbuster movie "Pearl Harbor," I have a new hero.
My husband, sons and I viewed the movie and walked away with a myriad of reactions about the infamous surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. We held our heads high with tremendous pride for our male and female veterans; their valor was without parallel. We witnessed the horrific and needless death toll that war brings about. We experienced sorrow regarding the animosity between Japan and America, and the lingering hatred today.
Yet it was World War II hero Dorie Miller who gave my family something to cheer about. Although this epic movie is longer than three hours, and Miller's dramatic acts of heroism are briefly presented, he inspired us all to never be deterred by life's hurdles.
Born in 1919 on a farm near Waco, Texas, Miller joined the Navy to see the world. Yet in the armed services of that era, African Americans were restricted to the stewards branch, where they cooked, cleaned or served as waiters.
Miller had the rank of mess attendant second class. He spent his days as a servant. It may have seemed that he was permanently locked out of his dreams. Instead, he invested his talents in the boxing ring and became the heavyweight boxing champion for his battleship, the West Virginia.
Dec. 7, 1941, began as another quiet Sunday morning for the young mess man. He was up by 6 a.m., gathering laundry of those he served. Without warning, Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor. In the midst of the attack, Miller was relieved of serving duty and asked to attend to the needs of the ship's skipper, Captain Mervyn Bennion, who had been injured in the attack. Once Miller moved the skipper to safety, he was then asked to assist an officer who was to operate an anti-aircraft machine gun. When the officer was distracted, Miller grabbed the machine gun and began firing at the enemy planes zooming past in destructive swoops. Although he'd never been trained to operate a machine gun, due to the rigid rules of segregation, Miller fired away, taking down two Japanese planes.
"It wasn't hard," Miller is quoted as saying. "I just pulled the trigger, and she worked fine. I watched the others with these guns. I guess I fired her."
As a result, Miller was awarded the Navy Cross for distinguished devotion to duty, extreme courage and disregard for his own personal safety. Unfortunately, two years later -- on Thanksgiving Day 1943 - Miller and 700 men were killed when a Japanese torpedo destroyed the aircraft carrier Liscomb Bay.
America's history provides this inspiring account. It shows us that, yes, life is unfair and will place us in negative situations, but God is always with us and we can overcome. Dorie Miller's life also points toward helpful steps for overcoming.
1. Be productive and positive while you are on the way to where God is taking you. Dorie was productive even though he was denied his primary goal. He went on to excel in boxing. He could have pouted and sat in a corner with his own pity party. Like him, we must keep a positive attitude. In 2 Corinthians 12:10, we read, "When I am weak, then I am strong."
2. We should watch and wait for our God-given opportunities. When God opens a door to our long-anticipated opportunities, we must be in a position to eagerly seize them. Miller had never fired a gun, but he had watched others do it. When his chance came, he took it. In Matthew 25:1, we learn about the foolish bridesmaids who lost opportunity because they weren't prepared. Let's always be alert.
3. Perseverance pays off. If we do not give up, we will succeed. Miller never gave up on his dream, and he was awarded the Navy Cross and had a ship named after him. In Ecclesiastes 9:11, we learn, "The race is not to the swift."
Dorie is my hero because he held on to his dreams.
# # #
*Patterson is senior pastor of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Dallas.
Commentaries provided by United Methodist News Service do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of UMNS or the United Methodist Church.
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