Harvey Milk will be commemorated with his very own Navy ship

by Walter Einenkel

Daily Kos Staff

Tuesday, Aug. 02, 2016 Tuesday, Aug. 02, 2016 at 1:54:16pm PDT

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Supporters hold signs with the image of slain San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk during a rally at San Francisco City Hall on February 22, 2013 in San Francisco, California. Dozens of supporters staged a rally in front of San Francisco City Hall to support San Francisco supervisor David Campos's Harvey Milk SFO charter amendment that aims to change the name of the San Francisco International Airport to Harvey Milk SFO in honor of the Milk who was the first openly gay elected official in the United States. Milk was assassinated on November 27, 1978 along with then San Francisco Mayor George Moscone by Dan White, a San Francisco supervisor who had recently resigned. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) — RIP Harvey

Harvey Milk was the first openly gay mayor in the United States. Harvey Milk was an activist for civil rights. Harvey Milk served in the United States Navy during the Korean War. The US Navy has announced that they will be honoring the LGBT activist by naming one of our ships after him.

The July 14, 2016 notification, signed by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, indicated he intended to name a planned Military Sealift Command fleet oiler USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO-206). The ship would be the second of the John Lewis-class oilers being built by General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, Calif.

He joins Robert F. Kennedy, Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, women’s rights activist Lucy Stone and Sojourner Truth in the fleet.

Milk came from a Navy family and commissioned in the service in 1951. He served as a diving officer in San Diego during the Korean War on the submarine rescue ship Kittiwake until 1955. Milk was honorably discharged from the service as a lieutenant junior grade.

Following his service, Milk was elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors and was the first openly gay California politician to be elected to office. He was killed in office in 1978. When Milk was shot he was wearing his U.S. Navy diver’s belt buckle.

Naming your ships after brave men and women seems fitting since only brave men and women serve on those very ships.