Navy reconsiders name of carrier honoring Black war hero Doris Miller, veterans group condemns move
TheGrio...
The Navy is considering renaming the USS Doris Miller aircraft carrier after Donald Trump, potentially replacing the name of the Black Pearl Harbor hero.
The U.S. Navy is reportedly considering removing the name of Black World War II hero Doris “Dorie” Miller from an aircraft carrier and replacing it with the name of President Donald Trump, a move drawing sharp criticism from a Black veterans organization.
According to CNN, three sources familiar with internal discussions said the Navy is working to rename the Ford-class aircraft carrier currently under construction. Two sources told CNN that Trump has been discussed as a possible namesake.
NBC News also reported that Navy officials have been discussing the potential change, although the Navy has not publicly announced a final decision.
The carrier was announced in 2020, during Trump’s first term, as the USS Doris Miller. If the name remains, it would be the first U.S. aircraft carrier named for a Black American and one of the first named for an enlisted service member.
CNN reports that the Navy is considering naming another warship after Miller and recommending him for the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration for valor. Miller’s family, however, was reportedly not informed of the potential name change or the renewed Medal of Honor effort. His great-nephew, Thomas Bledsoe, called the Medal of Honor recommendation “very positive,” while expressing surprise about the carrier.
The potential renaming has drawn a forceful response from the Black Veterans Project, which argues that moving Miller’s name to another vessel would not make up for removing it from the carrier specifically designated to honor him.
“The alleged renaming of the USS Doris Miller is an example of the Trump administration’s continual effort to discard, disrespect, and dismantle the history of Black military service,” Richard Brookshire, co-founder and co-CEO of Black Veterans Project, said in a press release provided to theGrio.
“The indignity of such a move can’t be repaired by extending a medal or renaming another ship while robbing Miller of an honor that took decades to bestow,” Brookshire said.
Miller was a mess attendant aboard the USS West Virginia when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Because of segregation in the Navy, he had been barred from combat duties. During the attack, he helped carry wounded sailors to safety and operated an anti-aircraft gun despite never having been trained to use one.
He received the Navy Cross for his actions and later died in 1943 at age 24 after the USS Liscome Bay was torpedoed during the Battle of Makin.
Kyle Bibby, Black Veterans Project’s co-founder and co-CEO, called the reported renaming “a particularly tone-deaf decision” as deployed sailors face difficult conditions.
The group is urging the Navy to retain the USS Doris Miller name and preserve the history it represents.