Naval Base Coronado shared the news Tuesday that Retired Chief Steward Andrew Mills, a survivor of the pivotal Battle of Midway, has died.
Mills, 103, served in the Navy as a steward on USS Yorktown (CV-5).
One of the maritime branch's first black chiefs, Mills risked his life for the service despite facing discrimination in a then-segregated Navy.
In 1942, Mills volunteered to board USS Yorktown after it was attacked by the Japanese during the Battle of Midway. He cracked open a safe containing documents and bills on the heavily damaged ship. He and a paymaster stuffed them in a suitcase, got a rope and lowered it down off the ship before the Japanese attacked again, destroying the Yorktown and the USS Hammann next to it.
In an interview last year, Mills vividly recalled an officer saying "but I need one of those black boys over there" to go back on board the ship after it had been attacked by the Japanese. Mills, one of two African American sailors on the ship, agreed to go.
When the paymaster accompanying him could not open the safe, Mills asked if he could have a go at it.
"Click. I went up there and turned it. Click," he said, grinning. "Money fell all out of it."
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In 2017, the Navy recognized Mills by inaugurating a new barracks in his name, a rare honor for a living recipient.
From his wheelchair, Mills waved to the sailors attending the ceremony.
Mills told reporters softly before the ceremony that he was overjoyed by the honor.
"Oh beautiful," he told reporters when asked to describe how he felt seeing the barracks in his name, shaking his head side to side. "That's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen so far."
He added moments later: "I think I have a lot of friends."
A viewing for Mills was held Tuesday at the Cypress View Mausoleum and Mortuary, and he was celebrated once more at a memorial service Wednesday morning.
Hundreds of photos spanning Mills 103-year life were reeled together on a slideshow for all to see.
Mills was buried Wednesday next to his wife Better who died in 2006.
