Hegseth reveals new name for USNS Harvey Milk

Earlier this year, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the days of naming Navy vessels for political activists were over, and the first ship on his list was the USNS Harvey Milk, a gay-rights activist.

This week, Hegseth revealed the name of the ship, and it has sent Democrats, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), into a fit.

Hegseth Gives the Order

The ship, which was named after Milk, was a replenishment oiler assigned to the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group.

Hegseth did not approve of the vessel being named after an activist rather than a Naval hero or president, stating that the renaming was being done in "alignment with president and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture.”

When Hegseth made his announcement, Pelosi called it "a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream."

She continued, "Our military is the most powerful in the world -- but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the 'warrior' ethos.”

Dems Strike Back

Even though Democrats did not have the numbers, they decided to try to push through legislation to prevent the renaming of the vessels.

They were clearly hoping that there would be few Republicans in office who would be sympathetic to their cause. Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) introduced the legislation, stating, "Secretary Hegseth claims that this hateful move would return a 'warrior ethos' to the force, but renaming these ships won't help better train or equip a single servicemember.”

Pelosi was furious, stating about Milk, “He is a warrior. He was a warrior in the military. He served as an officer in the Navy. It was just a joy to see the pride that he took with his hat and gloves and all the accoutrement of his involvement.” I am sure Pelosi making it sound like the Navy uniform was like a fashion show for Milk did not help the cause.

For those of you unfamiliar with Milk, he was a gay activist who had been dismissed from the Navy over his sexual orientation. He had served as a Lieutenant in the Korean War before his dismissal. He was assassinated in 1978.

And the Winner Is...

Hegseth has finally announced the name that will adorn the ship, renaming it after a WWII Medal of Honor recipient, Oscar V. Peterson.

He stated, “We are taking the politics out of ship naming. We’re not renaming the ship to anything political. This is not about political activists, unlike the previous administration.

“Instead, we’re renaming the ship after a United States Navy Congressional Medal of Honor recipient — as it should be. People want to be proud of the ship they’re sailing in, and so we’re renaming it after a Navy chief.”

Peterson was on the USS Neosho, leading a repair party that had been decimated by a Japanese dive-bombing attack. While most of his party was either dead or wounded, Peterson, who was also wounded, managed to close the bulkhead stop valves, preventing the ship from sinking. He suffered significant burns during his efforts, later dying from those wounds.