Latest news with #OscarVPeterson
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hegseth renames USNS Harvey Milk during Pride Week, claims move isn't political
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that a U.S. Navy ship previously named after LGBTQ rights hero Harvey Milk will be renamed the USNS Oscar V. Peterson — a move he said was aimed at 'taking the politics out of ship-naming,' despite unveiling the decision just ahead of Pride Weekend. 'We're not renaming the ship to anything political,' Hegseth said in a video shared on social media. 'This is not about political activists — unlike the previous administration.' Milk, who served in the Navy during the Korean War, was forced to resign at the rank of lieutenant junior grade in 1955 after being questioned about his sexual orientation. He later made history as California's first openly gay elected official when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. He was assassinated inside City Hall the following year, just months after helping pass a landmark bill banning discrimination on sexual orientation in housing and employment. In 2016, the U.S. Navy announced it would name a ship after Milk. Construction began in late 2019, and two years later, Navy veteran Paula Neira christened the USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206) during a ceremony in San Diego Bay attended by state and local leaders. Oscar V. Peterson, the ship's new namesake, was a World War II watertender who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during a 1942 Japanese attack on the USS Neosho in the Battle of the Coral Sea. A Navy escort ship named after him was decommissioned in 1965 after more than two decades of service. Earlier this month, after reports emerged that Hegseth had ordered Navy Secretary John Phelan to put together a team to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed the move as a 'shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream.' _____
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Hegseth announces new name of US navy ship that honored gay rights icon Harvey Milk
US defense secretary Pete Hegseth has formally announced that the US navy supply vessel named in honor of gay rights activist Harvey Milk is to be renamed after Oscar V Peterson, a chief petty officer who received the congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in the battle of the Coral Sea in the second world war. 'We are taking the politics out of ship naming,' Hegseth announced on Friday on X. In an accompanying video-statement, Hegseth added: 'we are not renaming the ship to anything political. This is not about political activists, unlike the previous administration. Instead, we are renaming the ship after a congressional Medal of Honor recipient.' 'People want to be proud of the ship they are sailing in,' Hegseth added. The move comes amid a widespread backlash against LGBTQ+ rights and issues in the US under the Trump administration, ranging from banning books associated with LGBTQ+ causes to reducing the rights of transgender people. The oil-supply vessel had been named after the San Francisco gay rights activist, who was murdered 1978 after serving as a city supervisor, dubbing himself the 'Mayor of Castro Street'. He had served in the navy as a diving officer on a submarine rescue ship but resigned with an 'other than honorable' discharge rather than be court-martialed for homosexuality. Peterson served on the USS Neosho, a ship that was heavily damaged by Japanese dive bombers on 7 May 1942, during the battle of the Coral Sea. In one bombing raid, Peterson and members of the repair party he led were severely wounded. But despite his injuries, he managed to close four steam line valves, suffering third-degree burns to his face, shoulders, arms and hands in the process. But by closing the bulkhead valves, Peterson isolated the steam to the engine room and helped keep the ship operational. In an announcement that appeared timed for the start of Pride month, Hegseth announced that the Milk's name was to be stripped from ship in early June. It had been named after the gay icon 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. The move to strip Milk's name from the ship triggered a backlash from the activist's friends when it was first reported. 'Yes, this is cruel and petty and stupid, and yes, it's an insult to my community,' Cleve Jones, Milk's close friend and an LGBTQ+ activist, previously told the Associated Press. 'I would be willing to wager a considerable sum that American families sitting around that proverbial kitchen table this evening are not going to be talking about how much safer they feel now that Harvey's name is going to be taken off that ship,' he added to the news agency. Milk's nephew, Stuart Milk, told the AP that renaming the ship would become 'a rallying cry not just for our community but for all minority communities'. He added: 'I don't think he'd be surprised, but he'd be calling on us to remain vigilant, to stay active.' Elected officials, including the former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and California's governor, Gavin Newsom, described the change as and attempt to erase the contributions of LGBTQ+ people and an insult to fundamental American values of honoring veterans. 'The right's cancel culture is at it again. A cowardly act from a man desperate to distract us from his inability to lead the Pentagon,' Newsom said of Hegseth on the social media platform X.
CBS News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
USNS Harvey Milk, ship honoring slain gay rights leader, being renamed USNS Oscar V. Peterson, Hegseth says
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday the new name for the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named after the assassinated gay rights leader and San Francisco politician who served in the U.S. Navy. The ship will be named the USNS Oscar V. Peterson in honor of a Navy chief watertender who died in World War II and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, Hegseth said in a video posted to social media. Hegseth made the announcement ahead of the last weekend of Pride Month, the monthlong observance of the LGBTQ+ community that also coincides with the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising of 1969. Celebrations are expected this weekend in San Francisco, Chicago, New York and other cities. The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in 2021 during President Joe Biden's term. In Friday's social media video, Hegseth said that the ship's name change was made in line with "taking the politics out of ship naming." "We're not renaming the ship to anything political," Hegseth said. "This is not about political activists, unlike the previous administration." "People want to be proud of the ship they're sailing in," Hegseth said. The USNS Harvey Milk completes a replenishment at sea with two Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels in 2024. LaShawn Sykes CBS News reported earlier this month that the Navy was considering renaming the Harvey Milk and multiple naval ships named after civil rights leaders and prominent American voices. Milk was serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors when he and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated in City Hall in 1978. Before his political career, Milk served in the Navy Reserve from 1951 until 1955, according to the National Archives. He voluntarily resigned as he was facing court-martial over allegedly participating in a "homosexual act" in 1953. The ship's new namesake, Peterson, was gravely wounded in May 1942 while leading a repair party on the USS Neosho during an aerial attack from the Japanese in the Coral Sea, Hegseth said. Peterson was credited with singlehandedly keeping the ship running when the rest of the repair party was killed or severely wounded, Hegseth said. "His spirit of self-sacrifice and concern for his crewmates was in keeping with the finest traditions of the Navy," Hegseth said. , , and contributed to this report.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Pete Hegseth reveals new name for USNS Harvey Milk as part of mission to take ‘politics out of ship naming'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that the U.S. Navy is officially renaming the ship formerly known as the USNS Harvey Milk to the USNS Oscar V Peterson. 'We are taking the politics out of ship naming,' Hegseth said in a social media video announcing the decision. 'We're not renaming the ship to anything political. This is not about political activists, unlike the previous administration… People want to be proud of the ship they're sailing in.' Without addressing why Americans should not be proud of Harvey Milk, a naval veteran who became the country's first openly gay elected politician before being assassinated in 1978, Hegseth went on to recount the story of the Pentagon 's choice of replacement honoree, Oscar Vernel Peterson (1899-1942). Chief Watertender Peterson is famed for his actions in the Battle of the Coral Sea during the Second World War, in which he was gravely wounded when Japanese dive bombers targeted the USS Neosho in the Pacific, but nevertheless managed to single-handedly close the ship's bulkhead stop valves to keep it operational. Peterson subsequently died from the injuries he sustained during the onslaught and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. 'His spirit of self-sacrifice and concern for his fellow crewmates was in keeping with the finest traditions of the Navy,' Hegseth said. The Independent asked the Department of Defense for more information about the rationale behind the renaming and was told by a U.S. official: 'Based on typical Navy maintenance cycles, the complexities of repainting, updating official symbols, and procuring branded materials, it is estimated that the collective updates would be completed within a period of no longer than six months after funding. 'There was a review of all installations and assets conducted to ensure all installations and assets are reflective of the commander-in-chief's priorities, the nation's history and the warrior ethos. There are no plans to rename any other ships in this class.' The initial announcement of the decision earlier this month was met with dismay by LGBT+ rights activists, who accused Donald Trump 's administration of wanting to 'erase a lot of history' by dropping Milk's name from the fleet replenishment oiler. Not all Navy veterans were on board either, with one telling NBC News that the renaming 'does nothing to help crew members prepare for war,' amounts to 'nothing but a distraction.' It was subsequently reported that other ships were under consideration for renaming as part of Hegseth's purge of 'woke' ideology from the military, including the USNS Thurgood Marshall, the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the USNS Harriet Tubman, the USNS Dolores Huerta, the USNS Lucy Stone, the USNS Cesar Chavez, and the USNS Medgar Evers. 'Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all Department of Defense installations and assets are reflective of the commander-in-chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos,' the Pentagon said in a statement at the time.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hegseth announces USNS Harvey Milk is being renamed USNS Oscar V. Peterson
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday the USNS Harvey Milk is being renamed the USNS Oscar V. Peterson, after he ordered the Navy to strike the name of the pioneering gay rights activist from the ship. Hegseth made the announcement in a video posted to X. MORE: Hegseth orders Navy to rename ship honoring gay rights activist Harvey Milk "We are taking the politics out of ship naming," Hegseth said. "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." Peterson, Hegseth said, was a chief watertender who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during an attack on the USS Neosho by Japanese bombers during the Battle of Coral Sea in 1942. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
