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https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/pentagon-strips-harvey-milks-name-from-
ship
WASHINGTON (AP) � Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the
USNS Harvey Milk will be renamed after a World War II sailor who received
the Medal of Honor, stripping the ship of the name of a slain gay rights activist who served during the Korean War.
In a video posted to social media, Hegseth said he was �taking the
politics out of ship naming.�
The ship�s new name will honor Navy Chief Petty Officer Oscar V. Peterson,
who was awarded the highest military decoration posthumously for his
actions during the 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea in the Pacific.
WATCH: Sen. King tells Hegseth restoring Confederate names to military
bases is an �insult�
The decision is the latest move by Hegseth to wipe away names of ships and military bases that were given by President Joe Biden�s Democratic administration, which in many cases chose to honor service members who
were women, minorities, from the LBGTQ community and more.
It follows earlier actions by Hegseth and President Donald Trump, a
Republican, to purge all programs, policies, books and social media
mentions of references to diversity, equity and inclusion in the military
and elsewhere.
Hegseth�s announcement comes during Pride Month � the same timing as the Pentagon�s campaign to force transgender troops out of the U.S. military.
�We�re not renaming the ship to anything political. This is not about
political activists,� said Hegseth, who earlier this month ordered Navy Secretary John Phelan to put together a small team to rename the USNS
Harvey Milk replenishment oiler.
READ MORE: Georgia Army base renamed Fort Benning, overturning 2023
renaming to Fort Moore
He said Peterson�s �spirit of self-sacrifice and concern for his crewmates
was in keeping with the finest traditions of the Navy.�
When Hegseth announced the decision to rename the ship, officials defended
it as an effort to align with Trump and Hegseth�s objectives to �re-
establish the warrior culture.�
Peterson served on the USS Neosho, which also was an oiler. The ship was damaged during the Battle of the Coral Sea, and even though Peterson was injured, he managed to close the bulkhead stop valves to keep the ship operational. He died of his wounds.
The Navy in 1943 named an escort ship after Peterson. The USS Peterson
served for more than two decades and was decommissioned in June 1965.
The USNS Harvey Milk was named in 2016 by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus,
who said at the time that the John Lewis-class of oilers would be named
after leaders who fought for civil and human rights.
Harvey Milk, who was portrayed by Sean Penn in an Oscar-winning 2008
movie, served for four years in the Navy before he was forced out for
being gay. He later became one of the first openly gay candidates elected
to public office, in San Francisco. He was assassinated in 1978 by a disgruntled former city supervisor.
--
November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump. We look
forward to America being great again.
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Every day is an IQ test. Some pass, some, not so much.
Thank you for cleaning up the disasters of the 2008-2017, 2020-2024 Obama
/ Biden / Harris fiascos, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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