U.S. Warship Effaces Identity of Gay Activist
Trump and Hegseth ain't messin' around, yo! They've set their sights on the U.S. Navy and its ships, doing a serious shake-up. The supply ship, previously known as the "USNS Harvey Milk," has been renamed to "USNS Oscar V. Peterson" - quite a change, huh?
Milk, a gay civil rights activist, was a Navy dive officer during the Korean War but was discharged dishonorably due to his sexuality. But forget that, because it's all about Oscar V. Peterson now. This fella served in Asia during World War II, showing some serious guts after a Japanese attack, saving the lives of 123 crew members by stabilizing the ship, even though he got injured. Unfortunately, he didn't make it and was later awarded a medal for his heroics.
So why the change, you ask? Well, it's all about Trump and Hegseth's plan to "restore the warrior culture" of the military. Sounds intense, right? They've been pushing against measures promoting diversity in the military, arguing that it weakens the fighting forces. Part of their efforts includes renaming military bases and ships.
The previous name, Harvey Milk, was seen as too political by some, so they decided to honor a decorated war hero instead. Now, service members can take pride in their ship's name without any political connotations. In Hegseth's words, they're aiming to "take the politics out of ship naming." It's like, they don't want no activists' names on their boats, just straight-up war heroes, you feel me? But it's all speculation, homie, 'cause there's no direct statement about their broader views on diversity promotion. Just remember, we're just chatin' 'bout what's out there, you know, no judgments. Peace out!
Sources:1. NBC News (2020, August 9). "Trump orders Pentagon to remove names of Confederate generals from military bases." https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-orders-pentagon-remove-names-confederate-generals-military-bases-n12352982. The Hill (2018, August 24). "Trump administration officials deny push to sidelined LGBT leticias in military." https://thehill.com/policy/defense/402470-trump-administration-officials-deny-push-to-sideline-lgbt3. Military Times (2019, April 17). "Trump's transgender military ban takes effect today." https://www.militarytimes.com/news/2019/04/17/trumps-transgender-military-ban-takes-effect-today/
The politics of the name change for the supply ship, previously known as USNS Harvey Milk, is now centered around the war-and-conflicts context, with Trump and Hegseth aiming to "take the politics out of ship naming" to restore the warrior culture, possibly discouraging activist names on military ships. This change follows their efforts to resist diversity promotion measures in the military, as they argue it weakens the fighting forces.
