Good for them: The USNS Medgar Evers

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Monday, October 12, 2009 - 1:50 PM Share

The Navy has christened its newest cargo and ammunition ship the USNS Medgar Evers.

Now, how about honoring a Hispanic such as Cesar Chavez? And I'm still waiting to see Nat Turner get his due, perhaps with an escape & evasion course named for him.

I'd also like someday to ride aboard a Malcom X-class destroyer, or the USS Crazy Horse, which would make a cool attack submarine. And USS War Chief Joseph would be a good name for a flagship.  

Stefan Zaklin/Getty Images

 
EXPLORE:HISTORY, MILITARY
 

BILL KELLER

2:53 PM ET

October 12, 2009

It will be even more profound if...

carriers were named after men such as Medgar Evers or Four girls, Addie Mae Collins (aged 14), Denise McNair (aged 11), Carole Robertson (aged 14), and Cynthia Wesley (aged 14)killed in Birmingham, Al. And cruisers named after Oklahoma City Bombings and a field in Western Pennsylvania. People who or places where people have sacrificed most for fundamental principles.

Then you might have a Navy whose capital ships flying a 50 star jack say we are believers in the goals of a diverse yet united nation. And terror will not prevail.

 

RUBBER DUCKY

4:53 PM ET

October 12, 2009

Bronze Star

Chapomatic notes that Medgar Evans was a Bornze Star recipient in WWII at Normandy. http://gmapalumni.org/chapomatic/

 

RUBBER DUCKY

9:08 PM ET

October 12, 2009

The submarine force was way ahead of you on this...

Two submarines named after Hispanics: USS SIMON BOLIVAR (SSBN-641) and USS MARIANO G. VALLEJO (SSBN-658).

One named for an American Indian: USS TECUMSEH (SSBN-628).

One named for an African American: USS GEORGE W. CARVER (SSBN-656).

One named for a Hawaiian king: USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN-642).

The full list of the original 41 fleet ballistic-missile submarines, all named for figures important to our history: http://www.cs.utk.edu/~bigger/41forfreedom.html

 

BILL KELLER

9:40 PM ET

October 12, 2009

Yes....but stealth and a

life in deep water Armageddon targeting positions tend not to make for broad identification. Or friendly port calls.

But Submariners were ahead in naming foresight.

 

CMEYERGO

10:43 PM ET

October 12, 2009

Chavez was a Navy vet, but

Chavez was a Navy vet, but the other suggestions are absurd. The U.S. Army lost hundreds of soldiers to kill those two Indians. They had a cause, but the other side has no reason to make them heroes.

And Nat Turner? The slave who slaughtered 50 white people because they were white, including women and children! While he had a reason, he would be called a terrorist nowadays. Perhaps if he just killed slave owners and government officials, but killing children because of their skin color is not heroic.

This is a hazard of writing blogs, there is no editor to point out twisted logic. On the other hand, one can change comments after publication. I suggest this be done lest Fox News finds out that "liberal" Ricks wants to make a terrorist a hero.

 

DIPLOMATICHSTORIAN

5:31 PM ET

October 13, 2009

Then again, the Navy twice

Then again, the Navy twice honored Raphael Semmes, who forced a great many US vessels to reflag and never return to the US merchant fleet, with a vessel named after him: DD-189 and DDG-18. Why not honor Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse? Tecumseh has had four vessels named after him -- and is arguably the centerpiece of the USNA campus.

 

TYRTAIOS

11:38 PM ET

October 12, 2009

A ship named after the Oglala

A ship named after the Oglala war chief, Tashunke Witko - Crazy Horse?

Cikala Lakota wowaglake? Wachin ksapa yo - cante! : |

 

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military for the Washington Post from 2000 through 2008.

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