WACO, Texas — The great-nephew of Waco native Doris Miller called out the writers and producers of "Saturday Night Live" on Facebook Monday for a segment he said made a "mockery of a National War Hero."
Thomas Bledsoe said his family watched the segment of "Weekend Update" in "horror and disbelief at the level of insensitivity and racist undertones."
The segment, which aired Jan. 25, included host Michael Che talking about how the U.S. Navy named an aircraft carrier after Miller.
"The U.S. Navy has for the first time ever named an aircraft carrier in honor of an African American sailor," Che said. "And he must have been pretty brave joining the Navy not knowing how to swim. I am just kidding but the ship will be called U.S.S. guy from the Village People."
The Navy held the ceremony to name the carrier after Miller on Jan. 20 to honor his bravery during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Miller fired back at the Japanese fighter planes from a machine gun on the deck of the U.S.S. West Virginia. He was the first African American to receive the Navy Cross for valor.
Miller died in 1943 when a torpedo sank his ship, the escort carrier Liscome Bay, off Butaritari Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.
Bledsoe said, "to have a black American doing the segment does not provide a pass to the inappropriateness of the segment," in his post.
"With all the negativity in our society today, SNL decided to take a story that united many and make a mockery of a National War Hero that died for this country. I would have expected better from such a show that has an audience of many Americans, Veterans, and military families."
6 News emailed and called SNL producers but we had not heard back as of this writing.
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