SECDEF Hegseth orders Navy to rename ship named after gay rights activist: Report
Military.com 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 Military.com 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 Military.com, 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.
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Los Angeles Times
5 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
After a reference to Trump's impeachments is removed from a Smithsonian, questions of history arise
NEW YORK — It would seem the most straightforward of notions: A thing takes place, and it goes into the history books or is added to museum exhibits. But whether something even gets remembered and how — particularly when it comes to the history of a country and its leader — can become complex, especially when the leader is Donald Trump. The latest example of that came Friday, when the Smithsonian Institution said it had removed a reference to Trump's 2019 and 2021 impeachments from a panel in an exhibition about the American presidency. Trump has pressed institutions and agencies under federal oversight, often through the pressure of funding, to focus on the country's achievements and progress and away from things he terms 'divisive.' The Smithsonian on Saturday denied getting pressure from the Trump administration to remove the reference, which had been installed as part of a temporary addition in 2021. The exhibit 'will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation's history,' the museum said in a statement. In a statement that did not directly address the impeachment references, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said: 'We are fully supportive of updating displays to highlight American greatness.' But is history intended to highlight or to document — to report what happened, or to serve a desired narrative? The answer, as with most things about the past, can be complicated. The Smithsonian's move comes as the Trump administration has asserted its dominion over many American institutions, such as removing the name of a gay rights activist from a Navy ship, pushing for Republican supporters in Congress to defund the Corp. for Public Broadcasting — prompting its elimination — and getting rid of the leadership at the Kennedy Center. 'Based on what we have been seeing, this is part of a broader effort by the president to influence and shape how history is depicted at museums, national parks and schools,' said Julian E. Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. 'Not only is he pushing a specific narrative of the United States but, in this case, trying to influence how Americans learn about his own role in history.' It's not a new struggle, in the world generally and the political world particularly. There is power in being able to shape how things are remembered, if they are remembered at all — who was there, who took part, who was responsible, what happened to lead up to that point in history. And the human beings who run things have often extended their authority to the stories told about them. 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And without it, it's very hard for us to situate ourselves in history because it seems like we just kind of burst forth from the Earth.' Timothy Naftali, director of the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda from 2007 to 2011, presided over its overhaul to offer a more objective presentation of Watergate — one not beholden to the president's loyalists. In an interview Friday, he said he was 'concerned and disappointed' about the Smithsonian decision. Naftali, now a senior researcher at Columbia University, said that museum directors 'should have red lines' and that he considered one of them to be the removal of the Trump impeachment panel. While it might seem inconsequential for someone in power to care about a museum's offerings, Wagner-Pacifici says Trump's outlook on history and his role in it — earlier this year, he said the Smithsonian had 'come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology' — shows how important those matters are to people in authority. 'You might say about that person, whoever that person is, their power is so immense and their legitimacy is so stable and so sort of monumental that why would they bother with things like this ... why would they bother to waste their energy and effort on that?' Wagner-Pacifici said. Her conclusion: 'The legitimacy of those in power has to be reconstituted constantly. They can never rest on their laurels.' Hajela and Italie write for the Associated Press.
American Military News
a day ago
- American Military News
US military's ‘drone dominance' showcased at joint military exercise
The Department of Defense announced on Wednesday that a recent joint military exercise between U.S. and British forces demonstrated the advancement of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's 'Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance' memorandum. According to the Department of Defense, U.S. soldiers assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and British Army soldiers assigned to the 1st Royal Yorkshire Regiment recently held the fourth Project Flytrap exercise at Poland's Bemowo Piskie Training Area and Germany's Hohenfels Training Area. The Department of Defense noted that the Project Flytrap training is intended to help prepare for the threat of unmanned aerial systems in battle. 'Project Flytrap is … a series of training events that we've designed to test and refine some new counter-unmanned aerial systems … and tactics to respond to the evolving threat of drone warfare,' Col. Matthew B. Davis, V Corps transformation chief and the director of the Project Flytrap exercise, said. Davis added, 'The lessons learned from … recent conflicts highlighted this critical capability gap, and we're looking for Project Flytrap to directly address those through the training, which we conducted … we're working to enhance our collective ability to deter potential adversaries and maintain a decisive edge.' READ MORE: Video: 'American Drone Dominance' unleashed by Trump admin According to the Department of Defense, Project Flytrap involved U.S. and British forces working with industry experts to refine the development of technology to counter unmanned aerial systems. The department noted that the exercise demonstrates the work Hegseth directed the U.S. military to emphasize as part of the Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance memorandum. Col. Donald R. Neal, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment commander, said, 'One thing that I know [the secretary] is trying to get after from the memo that's been pushed down is he wants to see the use of drones incorporated in the training.' 'That's exactly what Project Flytrap is doing. You've got troops that are fighting each other, force-on-force, that are incorporating small UAS and counter-UAS, all in the same battle drills that we've done for decades,' Neal added. 'So, I think we're nested, we're right within that intent on figuring this out and training with it now, so the first time we're encountering it isn't on the battlefield.' Last month, Hegseth issued a memorandum to unleash the U.S. military's drone dominance in response to President Donald Trump's executive order that emphasized the need for the United States to 'accelerate the safe commercialization of drone technologies and fully integrate UAS into the National Airspace System.' At the time, Hegseth explained that the president's executive order would 'bolster our drone industry and arm our warfighters.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
44 Jaw-Dropping Historical Photos That Are 100x More Interesting Than Anything I Learned In History Class
honestly so cool to see these parents marching in a pride parade in it also makes me sad that it's been 50 years and queer people are still facing so much prejudice. that Theodore Roosevelt's first wife and mother died on the same day, which was just days after the birth of his eldest child (the indomitable Alice, who, if you have not read should). He wrote this in his journal shortly afterward, and it's genuinely heartbreaking. contrast, this letter from Teddy Roosevelt after he was called a drunk is kind of hilarious. Someone remind me what the medicinal purposes of brandy are? 1939 predictions about what fashion would look like in 2000 are also funny to see now. TBH, you probably could buy a version of those shoes in 2000, though I don't know how comfortable they'd be. photo of American soldiers playing video games at Saddam Hussein's former palace in 2003 — while troops were still looking for Hussein — is genuinely wild. also kind of mind-blowing to see what a first-class room looked like on the Titanic. Honestly? I expected nicer. Related: ad for a journey on the Titanic – back to the UK from NYC — is eerie to look at now. Obviously, it's a journey the ship would never complete. this letter from survivor Charlotte Collyer is super, super sad. 9.I bet you never learned about this in school — in 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr. received the following letter, along with a tape of his alleged sexual activity. It reads like blackmail from a prior supporter, but King believed it was from the FBI — and it was eventually revealed that it was. The full text of the letter, except for one redacted name, was released in 2014, and you can read it below. was the FBI so concerned about King, you ask? Because they were worried he would endorse communism. Right-wing groups thus put up billboards like this during the Selma march as propaganda meant to make him lose supporters. is the gun used to kill Abraham Lincoln. In case you forgot, Lincoln was watching a performance of the comedy Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater with his wife, an officer, and the officer's fiancé. You may not know, however, that the plan was to wipe out the vice president, Andrew Johnson, and the secretary of state, William Henry Seward, as well. Seward actually had his throat slashed, but survived. kind of wild that this copy of the Magna Carta from 1305 still exists. not as mind-blowing as these 1800-year-old Roman leather sandals. news headline from 1933 did NOT age well. did this 1939 newspaper caption. Related: this 1914 article. To refresh your memory, the archduke's assassination is largely regarded as the event that jump-started WWI. and here's a photo of good ol' Franz and his wife just moments before they were assassinated. wonder when the first-ever selfie was? It's way further back than I thought — Robert Cornelius took one in 1839. leaflet for Black American soldiers during the Korean War is wildly fascinating to read — and made great points, tbh. handbook from WWI, translating important wartime phrases like "Run for your life!" or "we are losing," to me. about the first cat who went into space. Her name was Félicette, and she was a French stray who was flown in the rocket Veronique in 1964. She made it back safely and to this day is the only cat to have gone to space. fun fact? In Sweden, cars used to drive on the left side of the road. But in 1967, they switched to the right — leading to absolute chaos, as you can see below. York to Paris is a common flight now, but back in the early 1900s, it was unheard of — until Charles Lindbergh made the (solo!) journey in 1927. His airplane looked just a *bit* different than the ones we use today. Related: of Charles Lindbergh, his son was kidnapped and later found dead in 1932, and the case is fascinating to read about. The kidnapper exchanged multiple notes with the Lindberghs and their liaison, John Condon, who even apparently met with the kidnapper in a graveyard. Here's one of the notes. speaking of planes, check out this flight price from 1946. Of course, this would be $241.38 in today's dollars. what British passports used to look like, in case you wanted to pop over to another country in 1858. WWII, British people all had to carry these National Registration Identity Cards at all times — even children. If they were separated during bombing or for any other reason, this could assist with reunification. It would also assist with rationing food. here's what a WWII ration book looked like. psych wards are a far cry from what were called "lunatic asylums" back in the day. People could be admitted for a ton of different reasons, many of them completely unrelated to psychological conditions — you can read some of them, from the late 1800s, below. what the NYC subway looked like in 1961 — honestly, it doesn't look as different as I would've expected! here's what it looked like in 1987. is what a Japanese tram looked like after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima — next to a restored version. here's a larger-scale photo of the bomb's destruction in Hiroshima. Colonel Paul Tibbets, who flew Enola Gay, which dropped the bomb. Related: doesn't seem all that long ago when you look at graffiti left by soldiers. of WWII, check out these propaganda posters reminding Americans of their allies in the feels ironic, considering how the US would feel about Russia and China very shortly afterward. letter sent home from a soldier in Vietnam just made me really, really sad. 38.I definitely do not remember learning about the Mormon War from 1857 in school. Basically, then-President James Buchanan sent troops to quell rebellion in Utah, where tensions were already high between Mormons and both Protestants and the government. The Mormons took up arms and fought back in their own namely, involved killing around 120 people traveling via wagons to move out west. They attacked the migrants, then offered them safe passage out, only to execute everyone over the age of seven and blame it on the nearby Native Americans. This was called the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Militia Leader John D. Lee was eventually excommunicated and executed for his actions — here you can see him sitting on his coffin just before being killed. 39.I'm always fascinated by old beauty trends, and it turns out that there were some wildly dangerous beauty trends back in the day. For example, people used to use products with arsenic in them. were also makeup and hair products that contained radium and other radioactive elements. medicine also used to be pretty darn dangerous. For example, heroin was used as a cough suppressant. people could be prescribed cocaine. of medicine and health, X-rays have been around a lot longer than I realized — since 1896. Here's what it looked like to get one back in 1914. finally, this sign is a fascinating reminder of just how far we've come. Back in the day, people had to be instructed how to use electricity — and assured it was safe. Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds:
