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    Wasp Awards Sailors for Weapons Readiness

    ATLANTIC OCEAN

    06.01.2020

    Story by Chief Petty Officer Andrew McCord 

    USS WASP (LHD 1)   

    Forty six Sailors on board the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) stood at rapt attention in the ship’s hangar bay on the morning of June 1 as they became the first Sailors from the command to receive the Doris “Dorie” Miller Award. Wasp Commanding Officer Capt. Greg Baker spoke to the group before presenting each of them their awards, lauding them for their efforts, initiative, and dedication to the ship’s protection.
    “You can never be ‘too safe’ - that thought process leads to complacency, which then puts our safety and our lives at risk,” Baker said. “Your actions demonstrate your keen understanding of this, but further, your personal ownership of the protection of not only your ship, but of your shipmates.”
    Cook 3rd Class Doris “Dorie” Miller has been iconized in American military lore for his actions on December 7, 1941, when he – without instruction – manned a Browning .50 caliber anti-aircraft gun aboard USS West Virginia (BB 48) during the initial attack on the Pearl Harbor. He later found and moved several Sailors – ultimately saving their lives - following the initial wave of the attack. For his actions he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Navy’s second highest honor for valor, becoming the first African American to receive the award.
    Designed to ensure Sailors onboard Wasp are ready and capable to use a variety of shipboard crew-served weapons and small arms, the requirements for the Dorie Miller Award involve both classroom instruction, as well as extensive practical experience. In order to qualify for the award, Sailors must demonstrate capability as well as intimate knowledge of the M2HB .50 caliber machine gun, the MK38 25 mm machine gun, the M-240B 7.62 caliber machine gun, the M-9 service pistol, the M-4 rifle, and the M-500 shotgun.
    “The Dorie Miller Award embodies the spirit of Doris Miller, and is representative of his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor,” said Wasp Weapons Officer Lt. Cmdr. Todd Grahek. “By qualifying on all of Wasp’s crew-served weapons and small arms, these Sailors are able to increase their readiness and capabilities, thereby having the skill and knowledge to protect Wasp from a variety of threats.”
    The Sailors who have qualified for the Dorie Miller Award will further be honored on a large plaque, slated to be hung on the Wasp mess decks, with each Sailor’s name engraved, with others added as they qualify.
    “Dorie Miller was a Cook 3rd Class, and had never used the weapon his chose to fire until that very moment – he’d only seen them used,” said Wasp Weapons Magazine Leading Chief Petty Officer Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Lacresha Dowdell. “It was his dedication to the protection of his ship and his shipmates that jolted him into action, and caused him to selflessly react. It’s fitting that this plaque will be on the Mess Decks, and it will be a way for our Sailors to reconnect with an important part of their heritage.”
    Wasp is currently underway conducting various qualifications following a four-month Consolidated Maintenance Availability (CMAV).

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 06.01.2020
    Date Posted: 06.03.2020 10:29
    Story ID: 371340
    Location: ATLANTIC OCEAN

    Web Views: 93
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN