.jpeg)
'Slap in
the face': NAACP rips Trump over aircraft carrier name
Black
community leaders spoke out against the U.S. Navy's reported internal
discussions around naming an aircraft carrier after President Trump and not a
Black WWII hero as originally planned.
Michael Loria USA
TODAY
8 hours
ago
Black
community leaders on Friday, Aug. 21, slammed U.S. Navy officials over
their reported
move to name an upcoming aircraft carrier after President Donald Trump instead
of WWII hero Doris Miller.
Miller
was a Black enlisted soldier in the U.S. Navy. During the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor in 1941 he helped carry wounded sailors to safety and manned an
anti-aircraft gun to take down at least one Japanese plane despite not being
trained on the weapon.
"This
is a slap in the face to every war hero and to every service member who has
worn the uniform," Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, said in
a statement
posted to X about the reported name change. "It’s beyond
comprehension for a president to want his own name on a Navy ship while our
armed forces are living in deteriorating conditions aboard
the USS Abraham Lincoln."
Supporters
for decades have viewed his actions as deserving of the Medal of Honor and
attribute his not receiving the honor to racism. Miller was instead awarded the
Navy Cross medal.
The Navy
since 2020 has been planning to honor Miller by naming the fourth vessel in the
new Gerald R. Ford-class carriers after the Waco, Texas, native. But according
to reporting by CNN and NBC News, the Navy is looking at changing the name of
the vessel from the USS Doris Miller to potentially the USS Donald
Trump. Miller died in a Japanese torpedo attack in 1943.
Dorie
Miller, who some are urging Congress to also posthumously award him the Medal
of Honor, was sent on tour to raise money for war … Show more
Naval
History and Heritage Command
The White
House referred questions to the Pentagon. U.S. Navy and Pentagon officials
declined to comment.
CVN-81,
as the carrier is now called, is expected to be finished by 2034 but the Navy
is expected to finalize its name ahead of a ship’s keel-laying ceremony at the
end of 2026. The carrier, if it is named after Miller as planned earlier,
would be the first to be named after an African American.
Miller’s
family could not be immediately reached for comment.
President
Trump announced the construction of two new "Trump-class" of
battleships that would be the first in a "Golden Fleet" of Navy
ships.
Push to
honor Black hero
The
Navy’s decision in 2020 during the first Trump administration to name the
upcoming carrier after Miller followed a decades-long push to award Miller the
Medal of Honor for his actions.
World War
II-era Democratic members of Congress Rep. John Dingell Sr. of Michigan and
U.S. Sen. James Mead of New York both moved in
the 1940s to award Miller the Medal of Honor but their efforts were
turned down by then-Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox.
U.S. Rep.
Debbie Dingell, who has continued her father-in-law’s efforts to award Miller
the commendation, on Friday also criticized the reported name change.
"Doris
Miller represented courage, sacrifice, and the essential role African Americans
have played in defending this country," the Michigan Democrat said in
a statement.
"Naming this carrier after him is more than honoring one extraordinary
sailor — it recognizes that African Americans are an essential part of American
history."
According
to CNN, the Navy plans to name another warship after Miller and is recommending
him for the Medal of Honor, the highest decoration for military valor. NBC
reported that the White House has not approved the commendation for Miller.
One other
ship bears Miller's name: the USS Miller (FF-1091), a Knox-class frigate.
Navy
announces carrier to be named after Miller in 2020
The Navy
first announced they would name the upcoming carrier after Miller on
Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2020 during the first Trump
administration.
Navy
Acting Secretary Thomas B. Modly said at that time the USS Doris Miller would
serve as a reminder of the nation's pursuit of justice and as a tribute to its
namesake.
"Doris
Miller was the son of a sharecropper and a descendant of slaves," Modly
said at the ceremony at
Pearl Harbor. "He was not given the same opportunities that men of a
different color were given to serve this country. But on Dec. 7, 1941, he would
not be defined by the prejudice of other people."
Miller
was a ship's cook at the time, Modly said, and showed initiative,
professionalism and commitment during the attack.
Prominent
civil rights attorney Ben Crump also noted Miller’s heroics on the day of the
nation’s worst attack until 9/11.
"Doris
Miller manned an anti-aircraft gun at Pearl Harbor with no training, saved
lives, and helped defend this country when his country didn't fully claim
him," Crump said. "Now the Navy wants to erase his name from the
carrier built in his honor — and reportedly replace it with Donald Trump's.
That is not how we treat heroes."
Along
with the Navy Cross, Miller was awarded the Purple Heart; the American Defense
Service Medal, Fleet Clasp; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; and the World
War II Victory Medal.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário