Washington, DC –(Friday, December 7, 2012) –  Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson released the following statement today, commemorating the 71^st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor:

“On this day, we honor and remember those who served our country at the Pearl Harbor naval base on December 7, 1941. The bravery shown that day by our men in uniform will never be forgotten.  We are thankful for those who made the ultimate sacrifice that day, and their dedication to the protection of this country will always be in our hearts.

One of those heroes was Dorie Miller, an African American mess attendant aboard the USS West Virginia, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.  Dorie Miller was responsible for dragging his ship's wounded commander out of the line of fire. Once his captain was safe, he manned a machine gun on the ship's deck.  Dorie Miller continued to serve his country in the Navy during World War II.  However, in 1943, he and 654 shipmates were killed in the line of duty when the Japanese sank the USS Liscome Bay near the Gilbert Islands. As we honor the devotion, dedication, and sacrifice of all who served at Pearl Harbor, I can think of no better commemoration than to finally recognize the brave acts of Dorie Miller. I have introduced legislation that would begin to cure this injustice. The bill would waive the time limitation specified in current law for the awarding of military decorations in order to allow the posthumous award of the Congressional Medal of Honor to Dorie Miller for his heroic actions during World War II.

Many soldiers lost their lives that day, and we will forever be indebted to them.  We thank all those in the Armed Forces who serve our great Nation, and not enough appreciation could ever be shown to those who sacrificed their lives at Pearl Harbor.”

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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Turtle Creek, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.