Pentagon strips activist Harvey Milk's name from Navy ship in latest diversity purge

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World

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the USNS Harvey Milk volition beryllium renamed aft a Second World War sailor who received the Medal of Honor, stripping the vessel of the sanction of a slain cheery rights activistic who served during the Korean War.

The USNS Harvey Milk volition beryllium renamed aft WW II sailor

The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 27, 2025 1:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

The radical basal successful the foreground with a navy vessel docked successful the background

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the USNS Harvey Milk volition beryllium renamed aft a Second World War sailor who received the Medal of Honour, stripping the vessel of the sanction of a slain cheery rights activistic who served during the Korean War.

In a video posted to societal media, Hegseth said helium was "taking the authorities retired of ship-naming."

The ship's caller sanction volition honour Navy main petty serviceman Oscar V. Peterson, who was awarded the highest subject decoration posthumously for his actions during the 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea successful the Pacific.

The determination is the latest determination by Hegseth to hitch distant names of ships and subject bases fixed by former U.S. president Joe Biden's Democratic administration, which successful galore cases chose to honour work members who were women, minorities, from the 2SLBGTQ+ assemblage and more.

It follows earlier actions by Hegseth and U.S. President Donald Trump to purge each programs, policies, books and societal media mentions of references to diversity, equity and inclusion successful the subject and elsewhere.

Hegseth's announcement comes during Pride Month, arsenic does the Pentagon's run to unit transgender troops retired of the U.S. military.

"We're not renaming the vessel to thing political. This is not astir governmental activists," said Hegseth, who earlier this period ordered Navy Secretary John Phelan to enactment unneurotic a tiny squad to rename the USNS Harvey Milk replenishment oiler.

He said Peterson's "spirit of self-sacrifice and interest for his crewmates was successful keeping with the finest traditions of the Navy."

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'Re-establish warrior culture'

When Hegseth announced the determination to rename the ship, officials defended it arsenic an effort to align with Trump and Hegseth's objectives to "re-establish the warrior culture."

Peterson served connected the USS Neosho, which besides was an oiler. The vessel was damaged during the Battle of the Coral Sea, and adjacent though Peterson was injured, helium managed to adjacent the bulkhead halt valves to support the vessel operational. He died of his wounds.

The Navy successful 1943 named an escort vessel aft Peterson. The USS Peterson served for much than 2 decades and was decommissioned successful June 1965.

The USNS Harvey Milk was named successful 2016 by then-Navy caput Ray Mabus, who said astatine the clip that the John Lewis-class of oilers would beryllium named aft leaders who fought for civilian and quality rights.

Harvey Milk, who was portrayed by Sean Penn successful an Oscar-winning 2008 movie, served for 4 years successful the Navy earlier helium was forced retired for being gay.

He aboriginal became 1 of the archetypal openly cheery candidates elected to nationalist office, successful San Francisco. He was assassinated successful 1978 by a disgruntled erstwhile metropolis supervisor.