In a fearless move sure to enrage the woke establishment and restore sanity to our military traditions, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the United States Navy to remove Harvey Milk’s name from a naval vessel. The oiler previously named USNS Harvey Milk, christened during the Obama-Biden era’s wave of identity politics, will now bear a name better aligned with America’s proud military heritage.
This decision comes as a welcome return to accountability and common sense from an administration that prioritizes our nation’s strength and security over pandering to the ever-changing whims of left-wing activists. According to Military.com, a memorandum from the Office of the Secretary of the Navy revealed that “the renaming was being done so that there is ‘alignment with president and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture.'” In other words, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are reaffirming the military as a force built around merit, valor, and honor—not woke virtue signaling.
Predictably, leftist voices like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) have erupted in anger, condemning the move as “spiteful” and “vindictive.” Pelosi tweeted, “Our military is the most powerful in the world—but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the ‘warrior’ ethos.” Senator Coons wondered aloud how this decision “makes our warfighters any safer.” But both politicians miss the point entirely. America’s military is strongest when it remains focused on its core mission: defending the homeland and winning wars—not serving as a testing ground for social experiments.
Moreover, the Navy’s decision to originally name a ship after Harvey Milk was controversial from the start. Milk’s legacy is far from the sanitized, heroic portrayal promoted by left-wing activists and media. As Mary Rice Hasson, Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, bluntly put it: “Harvey Milk was a pedophile. This is the right thing to do.” Joy Pullmann, an executive editor at The Federalist, echoed this sentiment, pointing out Milk’s troubling history of relationships with underage boys, stating unequivocally, “He doesn’t deserve any honors anywhere, ever.”
Secretary Hegseth’s directive is about ensuring that the names emblazoned on our military vessels reflect the highest standards of moral integrity and national pride. As Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed, Hegseth is “committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief’s priorities and the country’s history.”
It’s no secret that naming a Navy ship after Harvey Milk was an overtly political act designed to appease radical activists rather than honor genuine military heroes. Milk served briefly in the Navy but was discharged under questionable circumstances. His later fame as California’s first openly gay elected official—and subsequent martyrdom at the hands of a deranged assassin—has been leveraged by left-wing ideologues to push a politically correct narrative onto our armed forces.
Under President Trump’s leadership, America has embraced a return to common sense and respect for traditional American values. Rather than promoting divisive identity politics, our military should be unified by a common purpose: preparedness, strength, and honor. Secretary Hegseth’s decision to rename the ship sends a clear signal that the Trump administration is determined to reverse the damage inflicted by Biden-era social justice crusaders.
This decision should serve as a rallying cry for conservatives who believe in restoring our nation’s institutions. Our military must be allowed to remain a bastion of patriotic pride, free from the politically motivated experimentation of radical leftists. By removing Harvey Milk’s name from a naval vessel, the Trump administration has reaffirmed its commitment to an America First agenda, focused on a strong national defense and respect for our military’s proud traditions.
