Latest news with #USNSLucyStone
American Military News
4 days ago
- Politics
- American Military News
SECDEF Hegseth orders Navy to rename ship named after gay rights activist: Report
A new report claims that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered the U.S. Navy to change the name of an oiler ship named after Harvey Milk, who was a gay rights activist. was the first outlet to report the anticipated name change for the U.S. Navy's ship after reviewing a memorandum from the Office of the Secretary of the Navy. An anonymous defense official told that the Navy was preparing to change the name of the USNS Harvey Milk and confirmed Navy Secretary John Phelan had received an order from Hegseth to change the ship's name. The defense official added that the timing of the name change was intentional during Pride month, which is celebrated each year in June. According to the memorandum obtained by the USNS Harvey Milk's name change is part of the 'alignment with president and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture.' The outlet noted that the memorandum indicated that the announcement of the Navy's plan to change the name of the USNS Harvey Milk was expected to become public on June 13. According to CBS News, the USNS Harvey Milk was named after the gay rights activist in August of 2016 at a ceremony in San Francisco under former President Barack Obama's administration. The outlet noted that Milk was the first openly gay official to be elected to office in California prior to his assassination in 1978. READ MORE: Video/Pic: SECDEF Hegseth restores 'Fort Liberty' to 'Fort Bragg' The Harvey Milk Foundation's website describes Milk as a 'visionary civil and human rights leader who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States.' The website notes that Milk enlisted in the Navy in 1951 and resigned in 1955 after he was 'officially questioned about his sexual orientation.' In a statement to Fox News, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Sean Parnell did not directly address the report regarding the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk; however, he suggested that the Pentagon could implement additional name changes in the future. Parnell told Fox News, 'Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos.' He added that 'any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete.' According to documents obtained by CBS News, the Navy has a 'recommended list' of other ship name changes, including the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the USNS Thurgood Marshall, the USNS Lucy Stone, the USNS Harriet Tubman, the USNS Medgar Evers, the USNS Dolores Huerta, and the USNS Cesar Chavez.
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Mass. politicians react to proposed renaming of Navy ships honoring gay, civil rights icons
Advertisement Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a memo that the move aligns with President Trump's objectives to 're-establish the warrior culture.' The ship garnered the most attention was the USNS Harvey Milk, which was named after the first openly gay elected official in California. The proposed renaming of the ships comes at the start of Pride Month in June. Before Milk made history with his election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, he had been pushed out of the Navy. He had been appointed as a Naval Reserve officer in May 1952 during the Korean War, but in 1955, he was forced out like other gay officers at the time. He resigned and accepted 'Other Than Honorable' discharge which meant that he wasn't entitled to any military benefits. Milk was killed in 1978 by a fellow member of the board of supervisors. Advertisement 'If you ask the average straight person in Boston who Harvey Milk was, they would really be scratching their head for a while,' said Byron Rushing, a former Massachusetts state representative. Other ships in the John Lewis-class of replenishment oilers that are on the list to be renamed are ones honoring prominent civil rights figures and abolitionists such as Thurgood Marshall, Tubman, and Medgar Evans. The USNS Lucy Stone, which honors the Massachusetts women's rights and antislavery advocate, is also on the list. The ships were originally named after gay and civil rights leaders in 2016 by Ray Mabus, then-U.S. Navy Secretary who was a teenager in Mississippi during the Civil Rights movement. Current Navy Secretary John Phelan has organized a team to decide new names for the ships. It's unclear when the names will be officially changed. Rushing Rushing said that he was not surprised by the Trump administration's tactics to rename ships honoring people such as Evers. 'I have no idea what Trump's personal prejudices are,' Rushing said, 'but he does know that he has a significant number of supporters who agree with any anti-gay, anti-Black,' sentiments. Representative Jake Auchincloss, a Newton Democrat and former Marine who served in Afghanistan and Panama, said that by renaming the ship, the Trump administration was neglecting economic priorities. Advertisement 'One Chinese shipyard constructed more tonnage last year than America has built since World War II,' Auchincloss said in a statement. 'But instead of building more ships, the Secretary is renaming them.' U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley said that the administration's plan to rename USNS Thurgood Marshall and USNS Harriet Tubman was 'disrespectful.' Marshall was the first Black Supreme Court justice and argued cases that helped end racial segregation in public schools in the 1950s. Tubman escaped slavery in 1849 and subsequently worked to promote abolition and helped rescue around 'The Trump Administration continues to whitewash our history but they cannot and will not erase the contributions of civil rights leaders who fought for our most vulnerable,' Pressley said. Angela Mathew can be reached at
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Navy will rename the USNS Harvey Milk, named for LGBTQ rights pioneer
A Navy vessel named after celebrated gay rights activist and Navy veteran Harvey Milk will no longer carry his name. NBC News confirmed with the Navy that the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler, will be renamed. No reason was given. The news comes during Pride Month, the dedicated time to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements and contributions of the LGBTQ community. After years of devoted activism in San Francisco and across California, Milk became one of the country's first openly gay elected officials, winning a position on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. In 1978, he and Mayor George Moscone were fatally shot at City Hall. His killer, Dan White, a former city supervisor, was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to less than eight years in prison in 1979, sparking a mass protest that turned violent. Milk was portrayed by Sean Penn in the 2008 film 'Milk,' for which Penn won an Academy Award. The USNS Harvey Milk is a 2021 vessel designed to support other ships at sea. The USNS Harvey Milk was introduced in a class of several ships named after civil rights figures, including the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsberg, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Cesar Chavez and USNS Lucy Stone. The group, or class, of ships is collectively called the John Lewis class, honoring the Georgia congressman and civil rights icon who died in 2020. Milk served in the Navy from 1951 to 1955, according to the National Archives. On the USS Chanticleer and the USS Kittiwake, he was an operations officer during the Korean War. In January, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a directive instructing the Pentagon and U.S. military services to abandon any cultural or awareness months. It was titled 'Identity Months Dead at DoD,' citing Women's History Month, LGBTQ Pride Month and Black History Month. Hegseth's Jan. 31 directive said: 'Our unity and purpose are instrumental to meeting the Department's warfighting mission. Efforts to divide the force — to put one group ahead of another — erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution.' Earlier this year, Hegseth also issued an order to restore the name of the North Carolina military base back to Fort Bragg. Its namesake was a Confederate general who owned slaves, and in 2023, the base was renamed Fort Liberty. Hegseth said the new Fort Bragg would be named to honor Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II veteran who earned a Silver Star and a Purple Heart. This article was originally published on
NBC News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Navy will rename the USNS Harvey Milk, named for LGBTQ rights pioneer
A Navy vessel named after celebrated gay rights activist and Navy veteran Harvey Milk will no longer carry his name. NBC News confirmed with the Navy that the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler, will be renamed. No reason was given. The news comes during Pride Month, the dedicated time to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements and contributions of the LGBTQ community. After years of devoted activism in San Francisco and across California, Milk became one of the country's first openly gay elected officials, winning a position on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. In 1978, he and Mayor George Moscone were fatally shot at City Hall. His killer, Dan White, a former city supervisor, was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to less than eight years in prison in 1979, sparking a mass protest that turned violent. Milk was portrayed by Sean Penn in the 2008 film 'Milk,' for which Penn won an Academy Award. The USNS Harvey Milk is a 2021 vessel designed to support other ships at sea. The USNS Harvey Milk was introduced in a class of several ships named after civil rights figures, including the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsberg, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Cesar Chavez and USNS Lucy Stone. The group, or class, of ships is collectively called the John Lewis class, honoring the Georgia congressman and civil rights icon who died in 2020. Milk served in the Navy from 1951 to 1955, according to the National Archives. On the USS Chanticleer and the USS Kittiwake, he was an operations officer during the Korean War. In January, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a directive instructing the Pentagon and U.S. military services to abandon any cultural or awareness months. It was titled 'Identity Months Dead at DoD,' citing Women's History Month, LGBTQ Pride Month and Black History Month. Hegseth's Jan. 31 directive said: 'Our unity and purpose are instrumental to meeting the Department's warfighting mission. Efforts to divide the force — to put one group ahead of another — erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution.' Earlier this year, Hegseth also issued an order to restore the name of the North Carolina military base back to Fort Bragg. Its namesake was a Confederate general who owned slaves, and in 2023, the base was renamed Fort Liberty. Hegseth said the new Fort Bragg would be named to honor Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II veteran who earned a Silver Star and a Purple Heart.
