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80 years later | Remembering the attack on Pearl Harbor

A ceremony commemorating the lives lost will be held this morning at 11:55 a.m. at Doris Miller Park in Waco

WACO, Texas — It has been 80 years since the deadly attack on Pearl Harbor that pulled the United States into World War II. It was a day that saw 2,403 Americans die when the Japanese bombed the Naval Shipyard in Hawaii.

One day after the attack, the US declared war on Japan and other European powers but despite the tragedy of Dec 7, 1941, heroes were born that would inspire Americans and Central Texans decades later. 

One of those heroes is Doris Miller, a Waco native who enlisted in the United States Navy shortly before he turned 20 years old. On that day, one that was filled with heartache and sorrow, Miller became a war hero when, with bombs and bullets flying overhead, Miller found an unattended deck gun and started firing at the attacking planes until he was forced to abandon ship.

Notably, before that, Miller had never fired a deck gun or even been trained to do so because at the time black sailors weren't given the same training as white sailors.

To commemorate and remember all of those who lost their lives that day, the public is invited to attend the Doris Miller Memorial Pearl Harbor 80th Anniversary Ceremony. The event will be held at the Doris Miller Memorial located at 300 N. M.L.K. Jr. Blvd in Waco.

The event begins at the moment the first bombs hit the American soil, at 11:55 a.m. CT, and is expected to last until 1:00 p.m.

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