dubois: the navy made it official today. for the first time an aircraft carrier will be named for an african american. david martin on the hero who inspired a break in tradition. reporter: you ve heard the roll call of aircraft carriers, washington, lincoln, roosevelt, kennedy, almost all of them named for american presidents, but now there will be one called the u.s.s. doris miller. dorie deserved to be remembered and repeated wherever our people continue to stand watch today. reporter: at a ceremony, at pearl harbor acting navy secretary thomas modly, officially named the next carrier after the son of sharecropper and the grandson of slaves who served in the segregated navy of world war ii, which did not allow him to handle weapons.
all. some apprehension. not knowing exactly what was happening. staff sergeant tom rice tom rice got a hero sendoff on his flight back to normandy as he flew over the beaches the pilot even pointed out where he had landed. 75 years later it took a lot of preparation to get there. i ve been strengthening up all the muscles on my body wherever i possibly can, going twice a week to a gymnasium. preparation because the 97-year-old planned to arrive the same way he did on d-day, out the side of an airplane. they re not shooting at us this time. that makes it much safer. reporter: at a ceremony president trump said the more than 100 vets in attendance were among the great est americans who ever lived. with all of them in their 90s
tom rice got a hero sendoff on his flight back to normandy as he flew over the beaches the pilot even pointed out where he had landed. 75 years later it took a lot of preparation to get there. i ve been strengthening up all the muscles on my body wherever i possibly can, going twice a week to a gymnasium. preparation because the 97-year-old planned to arrive the same way he did on d-day, out the side of an airplane. they re not shooting at us this time. that makes it much safer. reporter: at a ceremony president trump said the more than 100 vets in attendance were among the great est americans who ever lived. with all of them in their 90s some were helped or wheeled to their seats or had blankets to keep them warm. it s likely this is their final chance to visit the country, and