Pete Hegseth sparks buzz by renaming USNS Harvey Milk after World War II hero Oscar V. Peterson
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drew national attention on Friday after announcing the US Navy would rename the naval ship USNS Harvey Milk to USNS Oscar V. Peterson, as per an ABC News report.The name of the ship, which was once dedicated to the pioneering gay rights activist, will now be dedicated to the Medal of Honour recipient Oscar V. Peterson, for heroism during an attack on the USS Neosho by Japanese bombers during the Battle of Coral Sea in 1942, according to the ABC News report.
I am pleased to announce that the United States Navy is renaming the USNS Harvey Milk to the USNS Oscar V. Peterson.
We are taking the politics out of ship naming. pic.twitter.com/2ypwAQGdAl — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) June 27, 2025 Hegseth announced about the name change in a video he posted on his social media platform X account, with the caption, "I am pleased to announce that the United States Navy is renaming the USNS Harvey Milk to the USNS Oscar V. Peterson," as per his X Post. He also emphasised in his X post's caption, "We are taking the politics out of ship naming."
ALSO READ: Trump channels Xi's China surveillance playbook as ICE deploys facial recognition app to identify people According to a Newsweek report, Hegseth said while announcing that, "We're not renaming the ship to anything political. This is not about political activists, unlike the previous administration," as quoted in the report. He also highlighted that, "Instead, we're renaming the ship after a United States Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, as it should be. People want to be proud of the ship they're sailing in," as quoted in the Newsweek report.
A New York Democrat, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, said on X, "Erasing Harvey Milk's name is disgusting, blatant discrimination—and during Pride Month to boot. He served the U.S. Navy and his country honorably, and he was assassinated while serving the public and fighting for LGBTQ+ rights. Hegseth should be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately," as quoted by Newsweek.
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While, a California Democrat, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told previously this month, "The reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American dream. Our military is the most powerful in the world—but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the "warrior" ethos. Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country," as quoted in the report.
ALSO READ: California, the world's fourth largest economy, to charge road tax as people go electric, citizens furious Why was the ship originally named after Harvey Milk?Harvey Milk was one of the first openly gay elected officials in the US and served in the Navy and naming the ship after him honored his legacy as a civil rights pioneer and veteran, as per Newsweek report.
Why did Pete Hegseth change the ship's name?
Hegseth said the move was to remove politics from ship naming, favoring a military hero over what he called a "political activist."
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