Some Honors Should be Bigger Than a President

Doris Miller earned his place in American history under fire. Why would we consider taking his name off an aircraft carrier?

There are moments when proposed government action tells us something larger than the action itself. Reports that the Navy is considering removing the name of Doris “Dorie” Miller from the future aircraft carrier CVN-81, with President Donald Trump reportedly among the possible replacement names, is one of those moments. To be precise, the Navy and Pentagon have not announced a final decision; this is reportedly under consideration, not yet accomplished. But the fact that it is being considered should trouble us. Not because presidents should never have ships named for them. They have. Not because Donald Trump is a Republican. And not because the United States should select military honors according to race. Quite the opposite.

It is because Doris Miller earned his place in American history through extraordinary courage at a time when his own country did not afford him equal opportunity to serve.

The Story behind the Hero

Doris Miller was a mess attendant aboard the USS West Virginia when Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. That job assignment matters. Miller was Black, serving in a segregated Navy that severely restricted the duties Black sailors were permitted to perform. He was not trained as an anti-aircraft gunner. When the attack came, none of that mattered to him. Miller helped move his wounded commanding officer to greater safety. Then he took control of a machine gun and fired at attacking Japanese aircraft despite having no formal training on the weapon. For his actions, Miller received the Navy Cross. The Navy’s own historical record recognizes his courage and devotion to duty during the Pearl Harbor attack. He became the first Black American to receive that decoration.

Think about the contradiction embodied in that history. A country that restricted where Miller could serve nevertheless needed his courage when America came under attack. When the moment arrived, Doris Miller defended a nation that had not yet fully recognized him as an equal. That is precisely why his name belongs on an American warship. When the Navy announced in 2020 that CVN-81 would become the future USS Doris Miller, the significance went beyond honoring one sailor. It was to be the first aircraft carrier named for an enlisted sailor and for a Black American. That mattered.

The History Behind the Man

Military history has traditionally been told through presidents, admirals, and generals. They deserve recognition. But wars are not fought only by presidents, admirals and generals. They are fought by sailors below decks. Soldiers in foxholes. Airmen maintaining aircraft. Marines moving toward danger. And countless Americans whose names rarely appear in history books. Naming one of the most powerful warships in the world after an enlisted sailor sent an extraordinary message: Your rank does not determine the value of your courage. For Black service members, it said something more. Your service belongs in the center of the American story.

This issue resonates deeply with me because of my own work examining the experiences of women and minorities in national security. I served this country for nearly four decades in military and civilian national-security positions. I know what it means to serve inside institutions that have changed enormously over time, and what it means for women and minorities to demonstrate repeatedly that opportunity and military effectiveness are not competing values.

Women were once excluded from positions they now perform with distinction. Black Americans served in segregated units before helping transform the Armed Forces into one of America’s most integrated institutions. Other minorities similarly had to overcome assumptions about where they belonged and what responsibilities they could handle.

Progress did not erase standards. It allowed more Americans to meet them. That is why I become increasingly concerned when efforts to recognize the contributions of women and minorities are casually dismissed as “DEI,” as though acknowledging their history somehow diminishes military merit. There was nothing symbolic about the Japanese aircraft attacking Pearl Harbor. There was nothing performative about Doris Miller protecting wounded sailors. There was nothing “DEI” about taking up a weapon under fire. That was courage.

Reports indicate there has been discussion of honoring Doris Miller elsewhere and potentially recommending him posthumously for the Medal of Honor. If Doris Miller deserves greater recognition, give it to him. But it should not come at the cost of his existing recognition. Military traditions exist partly because they connect today’s force with generations that came before it. Ship names become part of that institutional memory. They remind sailors that they belong to something older and larger than any one presidential administration.

If the US wants someday to name a carrier after Donald Trump, that question can be debated on its own merits, and not used as a vehicle for presidential self-aggrandizement. Merit is not demonstrated by ensuring that your own name appears on buildings, ships, and institutions.

The Leadership that is Needed

Can we dare hope for a sign of real leadership from this administration?

Leadership could be demonstrated by saying: Leave his name where it is. He earned it. President Trump could explain why. He could tell young sailors that courage matters more than rank. He could tell Black service members that recognizing a Black sailor’s heroism is not political correctness; it is historical accuracy. And he could demonstrate something increasingly rare in American public life: the willingness of a powerful person to decline an honor so that another American may keep the honor he earned. That would be presidential.

Those of us who have spent years examining the role of women and minorities in national security know of what we speak. Recognition matters because history matters. Who receives promotions matters. Who occupies senior leadership positions matters. Who is remembered matters. And who disappears from institutional memory matters too.

The American military has become stronger by drawing talent from a broader portion of the American population, not by pretending that everyone had an equal opportunity to serve throughout our history. Doris Miller’s story reminds us how far we have traveled. His is not a moment of history we should erase. It is a history we should teach. Doris Miller did not ask whether the commander in chief deserved his loyalty before defending his ship. He did not ask whether America had treated him fairly. He saw his fellow sailors under attack and acted.

More than eight decades later, the United States has an opportunity to demonstrate that it remembers what that meant. There will always be opportunities to honor presidents. There will never be another Doris Miller at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Some honors need to be bigger than politics. And some acts of courage are bigger than any president.

Martha Duncan is a retired U.S. Department of Defense senior executive with 37 years of service, including 23 years as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, where she also served as Reserve Attache. She had three operational deployments to Panama, Bosnia, and Afghanistan. At DIA, she worked as a Latin American analyst for 11 years. A specialist in human intelligence (HUMINT), she is recognized for her leadership in intelligence operations, coalition-building, and enterprise-level policy development across the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the U.S. Army, and the broader Intelligence Community. She grew up in Panama during the rise of Manuel Noriega and was instrumental in his capture.

Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 400 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines, including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs, and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.

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