Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that the USNS Harvey Milk will be renamed after a World War II sailor who received the Medal of Honor, stripping the ship of the name of a slain gay rights activist who served during the Korean War.
In a video posted to social media, Hegseth said he was ‘taking the politics out of ship naming.’
The ship’s new name will honor Navy Chief Petty Officer Oscar V. Peterson, who was awarded the highest military decoration posthumously for his actions during the 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea in the Pacific.
The decision is the latest move by Hegseth to wipe away names of ships and military bases that were given by President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration, which in many cases chose to honor service members who were women, minorities, from the LBGTQ community and more.
It follows earlier actions by Hegseth and President Donald Trump, a Republican, to purge all programs, policies, books and social media mentions of references to diversity, equity and inclusion in the military and elsewhere.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that the USNS Harvey Milk will be renamed after a World War II sailor who received the Medal of Honor
Harvey Milk served for four years in the Navy before he was forced out for being gay
The USNS Harvey Milk, pictured, was named 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
Hegseth’s announcement comes during Pride Month – the same timing as the Pentagon’s campaign to force transgender troops out of the US military.
‘People want to be proud of the ship they’re sailing in,’ Hegseth said of the change.
‘We’re not renaming the ship to anything political. This is not about political activists, unlike the previous administration,’ insisted Hegseth, who earlier this month ordered Navy Secretary John Phelan to put together a small team to rename the USNS Harvey Milk replenishment oiler.
He said Peterson’s ‘spirit of self-sacrifice and concern for his crewmates was in keeping with the finest traditions of the Navy.’
A Defense official said the renaming was an attempt by MAGA to ‘reestablish warrior culture’ and the timing of the announcement – during Pride Month – was intentional.
Liberal critics, however, called the move a weak attempt to replace US history with empty machismo.
When Hegseth announced the decision to rename the ship, officials defended it as an effort to align with Trump and Hegseth’s objectives to ‘re-establish the warrior culture.’
Democratic congressman Jim Himes said the renaming displayed a deep insecurity among those in President Trump’s administration.
‘At the core of MAGA is a deep insecurity about one’s own manhood and sexuality,’ Himes said on X. ‘That’s why all the muscle displays, military cosplaying and school yard bullying.’
Another critic called it ‘another attempt to erase the LGBTQ+ community by a small minded self-serving administration.’
The ship will now be renamed after Navy Chief Petty Officer Oscar V. Peterson, who was awarded the highest military decoration posthumously for his actions during the 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea in the Pacific
Peterson, who spent 20 years in the Navy, served on the USS Neosho and was in charge of running the steam engine when it came under Japanese fire in the Philippines in 1942.
The ship was damaged during the Battle of the Coral Sea, and even though Peterson was injured, he managed to close the bulkhead stop valves to keep the ship operational. He suffered third-degree burns and later died from his wounds.
The Navy in 1943 named an escort ship after Peterson. The USS Peterson served for more than two decades and was decommissioned in June 1965.
The USNS Harvey Milk was named in 2016 by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus under President Barack Obama, who said at the time that the John Lewis-class of oilers would be named after leaders who fought for civil and human rights.
Actor Sean Penn (pictured), 64, who portrayed Harvey Milk in the Oscar-winning 2008 biopic Milk, slammed the Defense Secretary, calling Hegseth ‘Chief PETTY Officer’
Harvey Milk, who was portrayed by Sean Penn, 64, in an Oscar-winning 2008 movie, served for four years in the Navy before he was forced out for being gay.
He was ordered to face a court martial for participating in a ‘homosexual act.’
In January 1954, he resigned and was handed an ‘Other Than Honorable’ discharge. In 2021, the USNS Harvey Milk was christened in his honor.
Milk later became one of the first openly gay candidates elected to public office, in San Francisco and served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors after years of activism in the LGBTQ sphere.
He was assassinated one year into his term in 1978 by disgruntled former San Francisco supervisor Dan White.
Milk served for four years in the US Navy between 1951 and 1955
Milk later became one of the first openly gay candidates elected to public office, in San Francisco and served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors after years of activism in the LGBTQ sphere. He was assassinated one year into his term in 1978
Hegseth and the broader Trump administration have faced criticism from veterans’ groups, high-profile public figures and former DoD Secretary fans, including Newsweek’s political editor Carlo Versano, over the controversial renaming effort.
‘I’ve never before seen a Secretary of Defense so aggressively demote himself to the rank of Chief PETTY Officer,’ actor Penn, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Dustin Lance Black, the film’s screenwriter, also criticized the move as politically divisive.
‘This is yet another move to distract and to fuel the culture wars that create division,’ Black, 50, told The Hollywood Reporter.
‘It’s meant to get us to react in ways that are self-centered so that we are further distanced from our brothers and sisters in equally important civil rights fights in this country. It’s divide and conquer.’
The progressive veterans’ group VoteVets also condemned the move.
‘At the start of Pride Month, Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to strip Harvey Milk’s name from a ship,’ the group wrote on X.
‘A man who served with honor – erased to send a message. This is a deliberate insult to LGBTQ troops and Americans that weakens our force and shreds the values we fight for.’
Versano, who was once a cautious supporter of Hegseth’s Pentagon appointment, has since turned sharply critical.
In a column titled ‘Now Boarding the USS Idiocracy,’ the Newsweek’s political editor wrote, ‘I cannot believe I once wrote here that I was cautiously optimistic about Hegseth as someone who could shake up the Pentagon. Was I on drugs?’
He added, ‘This guy is such an embarrassment to be leading our military… this is what the Defense Department is sitting around worrying about right now?’
Several public officials have also voiced their outrage.
Several public officials have also voiced their outrage about the renaming of the vessel
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer posted on X: ‘Erasing Harvey Milk’s name is disgusting, blatant discrimination – and during Pride Month to boot. He served the U.S. Navy and his country honorably… Hegseth should be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately.’
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added, ‘The reported decision… is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American dream.
‘Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the ‘warrior’ ethos. Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.
‘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 said in a statement.
Former Pentagon official Alex Wagner, who helped lead the department’s first Pride event in 2012, said the decision was ‘disappointing, but no surprise.’
Wagner noted, ‘When I served… we prioritized building and resourcing a ready force capable of deterring, denying, and – if necessary – defeating the People’s Liberation Army.
An internal Navy memo indicated that other Navy ships – named after historical figures such as Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Harriet Tubman, Cesar Chavez, and Medgar Evers – are also under review for potential renaming. Pictured: US Navy oiler USNS Harvey Milk
We sought to harness one of our greatest strategic advantages – the diverse experiences and expertise of all Americans.’
In defense of the renaming initiative, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated, ‘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.’
According to CBS News, an internal Navy memo cited the renaming as an effort to ensure ‘alignment with president and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture.’
Several others have been placed on a ‘recommended list’ of name changes, the documents reveal.
The USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which is currently under construction and named after the iconic late Supreme Court justice, has also been flagged.
The USNS Medgar Evers, for the African American civil rights activist, is also on the list
The USNS Thurgood Marshall, named after tthe Supreme Court’s first African-American justice, is on the list
The USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which is currently under construction and named after the iconic late Supreme Court justice, has also been flagged
USNS Lucy Stone, named in honor of the suffragist, who was the first woman in Massachusetts to earn a college degree
Ships named after Cesar Chavez (left) and Dolores Huerta (right) are also being considered for a change of name
The USNS Thurgood Marshall, named after the Supreme Court’s first African-American justice, is on the list, as is the USNS Dolores Huerta, honoring the late labor movement leader.
USNS Cesar Chavez, named after Huerta’s close associate and fellow labor leader, and the USNS Medgar Evers, for the African American civil rights activist, are also on the list.
Rounding out the recommendations are USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Lucy Stone, named in honor of the slave-turned-activist Tubman, and suffragist Stone, who was the first woman in Massachusetts to earn a college degree.
The documents describing these proposed changes were marked with a ‘CAUTION’ note suggesting they would be publicly sensitive.
Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, told CBS Defense Secretary Pete 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.’
