USNS Harvey Milk Gets New Namesake: A Move Toward Military Valor
Anyone paying attention to the Navy’s announcements lately probably did a double-take when news broke about the USNS Harvey Milk. On June 27, 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth revealed the ship’s new name: USNS Oscar V. Peterson. Not everyone might be familiar with Peterson, but his story gives a sharp new focus to how the Navy wants its ships remembered and who gets honored on the hull.
The John Lewis-class oiler, originally named after Harvey Milk—one of San Francisco’s most famous civil rights activists—caught attention when it was announced in 2016. Milk's legacy as the first openly gay elected official in California and his background as a Navy veteran who faced discrimination made the naming a big deal for LGBTQ+ advocates. But that all changed with the recent shakeup in naming policy.
So, who was Oscar V. Peterson? He wasn’t a name you saw in textbooks unless you dug deep into WWII history. Peterson was a chief watertender serving on the USS Neosho during the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942. When Japanese bombers attacked, he didn’t run for cover. Even after suffering brutal burns, Peterson kept the fuel pumps running, battling fires below deck to keep his ship—and his crewmates—alive as long as possible. He never made it out, but his actions earned him the Medal of Honor posthumously, the highest recognition for military bravery in the United States.
A Broader Shift in Naming Policy
This isn’t just about swapping one name for another; it’s a sign of how quickly priorities can shift within the military. Back in 2016, under Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, there was a deliberate move to broaden who got recognized on Navy ships. Naming a vessel after Harvey Milk was meant to highlight diversity and acknowledge the Navy’s complicated history with LGBTQ+ service members. Milk joined the Navy during the Korean War and served as a junior lieutenant. But instead of being recognized for his service, he was forced out with an "other than honorable" discharge just for being gay—a shadow still cast over many veterans from that era.
Now, the pendulum is swinging back the other way. Secretary Hegseth’s announcement comes at a time of broader review over who—and what—gets memorialized by the Navy. Instead of focusing on civil rights activism, the new rulebook gives preference to clear cases of "extraordinary military valor."
The USNS Oscar V. Peterson will remain part of the Military Sealift Command, carrying out vital refueling and logistics missions across the oceans. These ships might not make headlines like aircraft carriers or submarines, but they’re crucial for keeping the fleet moving during long deployments.
- The John Lewis-class oilers deliver fuel and supplies, supporting global Navy operations.
- The ship’s previous namesake, Harvey Milk, represents a chapter of Navy history that’s painful and inspiring in equal measure.
- Oscar V. Peterson’s heroism puts the spotlight back on traditional military courage, signaling what sort of stories the Navy wants to showcase.
Not everyone is going to agree with the Navy’s new direction. Each naming decision sends ripples through veterans’ circles, activist groups, and the crew who will serve on board. But if there’s one thing clear, it’s this: the debate over whose names are etched into military history isn’t cooling off. And with the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk to the USNS Oscar V. Peterson, the Navy is putting its bets squarely on honoring battlefield heroics over social milestones—at least for now.
