USNS Harvey Milk will now be known as USNS Oscar V. Peterson, according to a statement released today by the U.S. Department of Defense. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered this adjustment, which was formally disclosed in a video message.
Harvey Milk, a gay rights pioneer and one of California’s first openly homosexual government leaders, was honored with the ship’s name in 2021. Before being compelled to leave the Navy because of his sexual orientation, Milk also served during the Korean War. Before his assassination in 1978, he went on to become a well-known civil rights activist.
Oscar V. Peterson, a Navy Chief Petty Officer who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, is honored with the new name. Peterson bravely stayed at his position during the Battle of the Coral Sea aboard the USS Neosho during World War II, closed steam valves in spite of his serious injuries, and assisted in saving his ship before passing away from his wounds.
The renaming, according to Secretary Hegseth, is an attempt to remove politics from ship naming by emphasizing warrior culture and recognizing military bravery above civil rights leaders.
Thereversal caused a stir. Critics contend that because the renaming took place during Pride Month, it eliminates acknowledgment of LGBTQ+ achievements to civil rights and public service. However, proponents of the shift argue that recognizing heroism during times of conflict better embodies the values of military heritage.
Defense officials said that more renamings of the John Lewis class replenishment oiler, which includes other ships named for famous people like Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, are unlikely to happen anytime soon.
