Military: Name of gay activists from the US warship

The US marine renamed a ship that bore the name of a civil rights activist murdered in 1978. The supply ship “Usns Harvey Milk” is now called “Usns Oscar V. Peterson”. The step followed by the arrangement of President Donald Trump and Defense Minister Pete Hegseth to “restore the military’s warrior culture,” said the Navy.

Milk (1930-1978) served as a diving officer in the Navy for several years during the Korean War, but was dishonested because of his sexual orientation. He later campaigned for the rights of homosexuals and was the first openly gay politician to be elected to the San Francisco city council in the 1970s.

In November 1978, Milk and the liberal mayor George Moscone fell victim to an assassin in the town hall. In the Oscar -winning film “Milk” by director Gus van Sant, Sean Penn portrays the charismatic civil rights activist in 2008.

The new namesake of the ship, Oscar V. Peterson, was deployed in Asia in World War II, as the Navy said. After a Japanese attack, he stabilized his ship despite his own injuries and helped secure the survival of 123 crew members. He himself succumbed to his injuries a few days after the attack and posthumously received an honorary medal for his commitment. The supply ship can supply other ships of the US Navy on the high seas with fuel, drinking water or supplies.

Trump and Hegseth are against measures to promote diversity in the military because they see a weakening of the armed forces. In the context of their approach, however, bases and ships are also renamed.