"For Distinguished Devotion to Duty"
Some months later Dorie Miller was serving on an aircraft carrier, when 
Admiral Chester Nimitz, the commander of the Pacific Fleet, came aboard
to preside over a special award ceremony. In stentorian tones the Admiral
presented Miller with the prestigious Navy Cross, commending him for a
singular act of valor and "disregard for his own personal safety." Miller's
heroism helped to shatter the bias against Blacks in armed forces. Although
he could have accepted a sinecure in U.S. naval base, Miller chose to 
remain in the combat zone where he was killed in action in December, 1943.

to steal one's thunder--I had planned to be the first to resign from 
the club, but my cousin stole my thunder.
(to weaken a person's position by stating his argument before
he does)