Navy Plays it Safe With New DDG and LCS Names
Less than a week after drawing traditionalist ire for naming a Navy warship after former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus returned to standard convention Wednesday in a batch of new names for forthcoming warships.
The Navy will name its next three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers after Navy and Marine heroes -- as has been standard practice -- and its next two littoral combat ships for cities, as has been the case for most ships in that class.
The destroyers will be the USS John Finn, the USS Ralph Johnson and the USS Rafael Peralta, the Defense Department said in an announcement. The LCS ships will be the USS Sioux City and the USS Omaha.
Finn was a Navy sailor awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Johnson received the Medal of Honor posthumously after he warned his comrades and jumped on an grenade in Vietnam. Peralta received the Navy Cross posthumously after he smothered a grenade in Iraq.
"Finn, Johnson and Peralta have all been recognized with some of our nation's highest awards," Mabus said in the announcement. "I want to ensure their service and sacrifice will be known by today's sailors and Marines and honored for several decades to come by a new generation of Americans and people from around the world who will come in contact with these ships."
As for the two Midwestern cities, Mabus said he wanted "to honor the patriotic, hard-working citizens of Sioux City, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, for their support of and contributions to the military."
DoD's statement did not mention the disquiet over Mabus' announcement Friday that the Navy would name its 10th LCS for Giffords, in the latest break with the service's ship naming conventions. But leaders heard the criticism that warship names had become too political, having telegraphed the announcement to the conservative Washington Times newspaper for a story Wednesday.
Mabus outraged conservatives and many former Marines when he named an amphibious transport for Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha. Not only was Murtha controversial for having accused Marines of murdering Iraqis "in cold blood," all the preceding ships in the San Antonio class had been named for cities.
Washington Post And Murtha - News
having telegraphed the announcement to the conservative Washington Times newspaper for a story Wednesday. Mabus outraged conservatives and many former Marines when he named an amphibious transport for Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha.
Citing doctors at Haditha's hospital, The Washington Post reported, “Most of the shots … were fired at such close range that they went through the bodies of the family members and plowed into walls or the floor.” The executions of 24 unarmed civilians
The Washington Post published a story earlier today examining Congressman Norm Dicks' role in steering money to the Puget Sound Partnership while his son David was director of the Washington state agency. This is not the first time Dicks' influence
Citing doctors at Haditha's hospital, The Washington Post reported, “Most of the shots … were fired at such close range that they went through the bodies of the family members and plowed into walls or the floor.” The executions of 24 unarmed civilians
Citing doctors at Haditha's hospital, The Washington Post reported, "Most of the shots were fired at such close range that they went through the bodies of the family members and plowed into walls or the floor." The executions of 24 unarmed
NO SHIP NAMED FOR JOHN MURTHA! | RUTHFULLY YOURS
Although never indicted or prosecuted, he was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the scandal.
In November 1980, the Justice Department announced that Murtha would not face prosecution for his part in the scandal. The U.S. Attorney’s Office reasoned that Murtha’s intent was to obtain investment in his district. Full length viewing of the tape shows Murtha citing prospective investment opportunities that could return “500 or 1000″ miners to work. In July 1981, the House Ethics Committee also chose not to file charges against Congressman Murtha, following a mostly party line vote. The resignation later that day of Republican E. Barrett Prettyman, Jr., the panel’s special counsel, has been interpreted as an act of protest.