Dorie Miller’s position on the ship was mess attendant (a non‑combat support role in the ship’s steward/messman service).

Quick Scoop: Who Was Dorie Miller on Board?

On the battleship USS West Virginia at Pearl Harbor, Doris “Dorie” Miller served as a mess attendant, one of the few ratings then open to Black sailors in the U.S. Navy. In that role, he was responsible for tasks like serving food and related steward duties, not manning weapons or serving in an official combat position.

Despite this support role, he famously stepped into action during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, helping move wounded sailors to safety and then operating an anti‑aircraft gun, even though he had not been formally trained as a gunner. His actions made him an emblematic “unlikely hero,” because his official rating did not match the combat heroism he displayed that day.

Key Facts at a Glance

  • Official rating at the time: Mess attendant.
  • Typical duties: Serving food, steward and mess-related work, other support tasks.
  • Combat status: Not assigned to a combat billet; Navy policy then restricted Black sailors largely to messman roles.
  • Historical note: He later advanced in the messman branch and was eventually rated cook, third class, but he remained in the same service branch rather than being reclassified as a gunner.

In many school worksheets and quizzes, the correct multiple‑choice answer to “What was Dorie Miller’s position on the ship?” is “mess attendant,” distinguishing it from options like buglemaster, gunner’s mate, or commissary steward.

TL;DR:
To the question “what was Dorie Miller’s position on the ship?” the historically accurate and commonly accepted answer is: He was a mess attendant.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.