Navy Moves Heroism To Smaller Ship So Trump Can Have Carrier
Navy officials are considering renaming the future USS Doris Miller for President Donald Trump, correcting the service’s outdated practice of reserving its largest honors for people who performed acts of courage rather than requested premium branding. The Ford-class aircraft carrier, under construction in Virginia, was named during Trump’s first administration for Doris Miller, the Black sailor who defended his shipmates during the attack on Pearl Harbor despite being assigned to a segregated Navy that had carefully protected him from equal opportunity.
Administration planners have proposed transferring Miller’s name to another vessel, allowing him to retain some portion of the recognition while freeing several acres of nuclear-powered steel for a living president with immediate publicity needs. Supporters described the arrangement as ceremonial upward mobility, a process by which honors earned through sacrifice eventually ascend to the nation’s most powerful surviving real-estate personality. Miller could also receive the Medal of Honor, providing a compact consolation prize that requires considerably less deck space.
“Nobody respects Doris Miller more than I do, but he has had the name for a long time, and frankly the carrier deserves a name people recognize from hotels, golf courses and very successful licensing agreements,” Trump said. “Doris can have another ship, a beautiful ship, maybe with excellent parking, and everybody wins.” Naval historians said the proposal would modernize commemoration by eliminating the inefficient interval between public service and national honor. Under the previous system, Americans first demonstrated bravery, endured danger and often died before receiving recognition. Under the proposed system, the recognition goes directly to the person demanding it, reducing both paperwork and unnecessary heroism.
Officials stressed that no final decision has been announced and that Miller’s name could remain if the administration identifies a larger government-owned surface for Trump. The deliberations nevertheless establish the Navy’s new standard for valor: courage may earn a sailor a ship, but self-promotion earns a president the aircraft carrier.
* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.