Last month, the Navy announced that its newest Lewis and Clark-class of dry cargo/ammunition ships would be named after former sailor (1944-1946) and union organizer Cesar Chavez.
A photo illustration of the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE 14). Chavez served in the Navy from 1944-1946 and became a leader in the American labor movement and a civil rights activist. Cesar Chavez will serve as a combat logistics force ship delivering ammunition, food, fuel and other dry cargo to U.S. and allied ships at sea. (Credit US Navy)
Designated T-AKE 14, USNS Cesar Chavez is being built by General Dynamics’ NASSCO shipyard in San Diego, in the heart of Barrio Logan where many of its Latino residents will help build the underway replenishment ship.
Ships of this class are named after famous American explorers, pioneers and “visionaries.” The Navy said the ship was named after Chavez because he was a leader of a labor movement and a civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers.
The ship prior to this one is named after World War II veteran and civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
Within a day of the Navy’s announcement on the Chavez, U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr. (R-52nd California) fired a broadside at the Navy.
“This decision shows the direction the Navy is heading,” said Hunter. “Naming a ship after Cesar Chavez goes right along with other recent decisions by the Navy that appear to be more about making a political statement than upholding the Navy’s history and tradition.
“If this decision were about recognizing the Hispanic community’s contribution to our nation, many other names come to mind, including Marine Corps Sgt. Rafael Peralta, who was nominated for the Medal of Honor for action in Iraq. Peralta is one of many Hispanic war heroes — some of whom are worthy of the same recognition.
“And we cannot forget about John Finn, a lifelong San Diego resident who won the Medal of Honor for what he did during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Finn is another worthy candidate that was evidently overlooked in the selection process.”
Hunter, a Marine combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, represents one of the most conservative regions of California. He also is against any kind of immigration reform (never mind his father who also was a conservative congressman for the district, worked as an attorney in Barrio Logan processing amnesty documents during the Reagan era).
How do I know? I used to work at the newspaper in that part of San Diego County. The owner of the Daily Californian (El Cajon) said he created a liberal newspaper surrounded by a “sea of rednecks.” Years later, I would return as its managing editor.
I don’t want this to be considered a political piece, but rather pointing out Hunter’s folly, and despite his service in the Marine Corps, he is ignorant of the military (he serves on the subcommittee of Seapower and Projection Forces).
Here’s what a Navy adviser would have offered, and a reporter who knew his stuff would have asked:
1. If Hunter Jr. had any staffers who served in the Navy they would have said “This class of ships doesn’t get named after Medal of Honor recipients, destroyers do.” They also would have said, “destroyers are named after distinguished Navy and Marine Corps officers and enlisted men. We should ask that a destroyer be named after Peralta.”
2. Medal of Honor recipient John Finn lived in Hunter’s district, yet Hunter has yet to move in getting a resolution out of committee (he let it die in 2010 and has yet to reintroduce it) or sending a request to the Navy on naming a destroyer after someone who was revered in Hunter’s congressional district. Finn, who lived most of his life after World War II in the little ranching area of Pine Valley, Calif., died in 2010.
3. Peralta did not live in Hunter’s district. He grew up in Chula Vista, Calif., part of the 51st Congressional District. “Why are you using someone who did not live in your district, congressman?” “Do you think some people may think this is a this a cover for your well-known anti-immigration stance?” (A note: In the military’s budget, Hunter has an earmark bill asking the Navy to name the next ship available after Peralta. No word on Hunter doing the same for Finn.)
4. “Mr Hunter, do you think you might check on how Peralta got his green card? There’s evidence he may have been an illegal immigrant, and attended school in the area illegally.”
I don’t disparage Sgt. Peralta’s heroic deed and I personally believe he should have been awarded the Medal of Honor. But it still amazes me how a congressman — especially one who has served in uniform — doesn’t understand naming conventions the Navy uses. Reporters and editors need to know these as well. So, here’s a general guide on how the Navy names its ships.
The Chavez will be designated as a United States Naval Ship (USNS) and operated by the Navy’s Military Sealift Command with a crew of civil service mariners.
Here is the Navy’s announcement: http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=60467
Here is the information about the Lewis and Clark-class ship: http://www.msc.navy.mil/factsheet/t-ake.asp
See how a U.S. senator screwed up on his military history.
