United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the US Navy will be officially renaming the navy vessel USNS Harvey Milk to the USNS Oscar Peterson. “We are taking the politics out of ship naming,” Hegseth said in an official statement on X. .Hegseth had previously stated he was going to uproot the woke agenda from America’s military and the renaming of the fleet replenishment oiler — named to honour California’s first openly gay elected official — comes as the Trump administration seeks to uproot diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the federal government and universities. “We’re not renaming the ship anything political. This is not about political activists, unlike the previous administration,” Hegseth said. “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.”.The ship will be renamed after Second World War hero and Medal of Honour winner Oscar V. Peterson.A Wisconsin native, Peterson was serving as chief watertender on the U.S.S. Neosho when it came under air attack by Japanese D3A Val diver bombers in the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 7, 1942.Peterson was seriously injured in the battle but, despite his wounds he took charge of a repair party and managed to close the vessel’s bulkhead stop valves, suffering severe burns but preventing the ship from sinking.On May 11, 1942, the surviving crew members, including Peterson, were rescued by USS Henley.Tragically, on May 13, 1942, Peterson succumbed to his wounds..Reaction to the renaming has been mixed, with Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stating in a June 3 post on X that, “erasing Harvey Milk's name is disgusting, blatant discrimination—and during Pride Month to boot. "He served the U.S. Navy and his country honourably, and he was assassinated while serving the public and fighting for sexual minority rights. Hegseth should be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately."Meanwhile, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Newsweek earlier this month that Hegseth was 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." According to CBS, Hegseth is also considering renaming several other naval ships including, the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsberg and the USNS Cesar Chavez.
