Efforts To Retain Name On Aircraft Carrier For W.Va. Cook, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, many West Virginians may not remember the name Doris “Dorie” Miller, but he served on the USS West Virginia when it was attacked at Pearl Harbor. Miller was a cook and had never been trained to fight on the warship. But on the morning of Dec. 7, he raced to the deck, manned a machine gun and engaged the enemy, shooting down at least one enemy airplane. He was later awarded the Navy Cross, the first Black man to receive the honor.

The U.S. Navy commissioned a new aircraft carrier, CVN-81, and chose to name it after Miller, but stories have surfaced recently of discussions about renaming it after President Donald Trump. News Director Eric Douglas spoke with Scott Womack, the commander of American Legion Post 100 in Monroe, West Virginia, to discuss the group’s recent resolution that the Navy should retain Millier’s name on the ship.

Also, with parts of the state still recovering from severe storms and flooding last month, Gov. Patrick Morrisey has requested a Major Disaster Declaration from President Donald Trump.

And, National Save A Life Day is just 10 days away – but already, there are 900 events and counting scheduled across the country.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.

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