To authorize the President to award the Medal of Honor to Doris Miller posthumously for acts of valor while a member of the Navy during World War II.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill is a targeted military-honors authorization. Congress recites Doris Miller's service during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor: he helped move his mortally wounded captain, assisted other personnel through oil and water to the quarterdeck, manned a machine gun against attacking aircraft until ordered to leave, later received the Navy Cross, and died in action aboard USS Liscome Bay in 1943. Section 2 waives the usual title 10 time limits and authorizes the President to award Miller the Medal of Honor posthumously for those World War II acts of valor.
Who Benefits and How
Doris Miller family members benefit from congressional authorization for the nation's highest military decoration to recognize his Pearl Harbor actions. African American veterans organizations benefit because the bill addresses a historical gap in Medal of Honor recognition for Black service members at Pearl Harbor. Navy heritage institutions benefit from a clearer statutory basis to tell Miller's story alongside other Pearl Harbor Medal of Honor recipients. Military honors advocates benefit because the bill waives procedural time bars that otherwise prevent reconsideration of the award.
Who Bears the Burden and How
White House military awards staff must process a posthumous Medal of Honor authorization if the President chooses to award it. Navy awards review staff must support historical documentation and ceremonial planning around the authorization. Defense Department protocol offices must coordinate next-of-kin, citation, and presentation logistics for a World War II-era award. Congressional defense committees bear responsibility for creating an exception to ordinary medal time limits.
Key Provisions
- Provides congressional findings on Doris Miller's Pearl Harbor service, Navy Cross citation, and death in action aboard USS Liscome Bay.
- Authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor posthumously to Doris Miller.
- Waives title 10 and other time limits that would otherwise bar the award.
- Recognizes the historical absence of African American sailors among Pearl Harbor Medal of Honor recipients.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor posthumously to Navy hero Doris Miller despite statutory time limits, based on his Pearl Harbor valor and prior Navy Cross recognition.
Key Policy Areas
Veterans, Military Honors, Civil Rights
Primary Purpose
Authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor posthumously to Navy hero Doris Miller despite statutory time limits, based on his Pearl Harbor valor and prior Navy Cross recognition.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Doris Miller family members
- African American veterans organizations
- Navy heritage institutions
- Military honors advocates
Identified Costs
- White House military awards staff
- Navy awards review staff
- Defense Department protocol offices
- Congressional defense committees
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Mfume (for himself, Ms. Norton, Mr. Carson, Ms. Brown, …
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
African American veterans organizations, Doris Miller family members
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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