Latest news with #OscarVPeterson
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Taking politics out': Pete Hegseth rechristens US Navy ship named after gay rights leader; gives it World War II sailor's name
Pete Hegseth US defense secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday (local time) announced the new name - USNS Oscar V Peterson - of USNS Harvey Milk, days after he directed the United States Navy to rename the ship. "We are taking the politics out of ship naming," he wrote on X along with a video announcing the move. The "politics" Hegseth referred to is that the ship's previous name was a tribute to Harvey Milk, a politician and gay rights activist. Milk, who served four years in the Navy in the Korean War but left due to his sexuality, later became California's first openly homosexual politician. In November 1978, aged 48, he was shot and killed inside San Francisco city hall by Dan White, a former San Francisco supervisor. He was also the subject of the 2008 critically-acclaimed biopic "Milk." On the other hand, Oscar V Peterson spent 20 years in the Navy and was killed during a World War II battle, in an act of self-sacrifice which saved lives. Peterson received a posthumous Medal of Honor for his act of bravery. USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler, was originally named in 2016 under then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat. Its name-change comes amid a push from Hegseth to remove DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and "woke" policies from the department of defense, which he leads in the administration of Donald Trump, a Republican. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo When the move was first reported earlier this month, Rep Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, called it a "shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream." "As the rest of us are celebrating the joy of Pride Month, it is my hope that the Navy will reconsider this egregious decision," Pelosi's statement read.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Navy ship renamed to honor Oscar V. Peterson
The U.S. Naval ship previously named after Harvey Milk will be renamed Oscar V. Peterson, a World War II hero, as announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Yahoo
15 hours 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
18 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
21 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.
