Posted on Apr 14, 2016
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As the Obama administration this week named another warship after a politician, a report circulating in Congress shows that nearly 200 Navy and Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients have never been awarded such an honor, contrary to naval guidelines and tradition. Is this the new trend? The latest ship, a missile destroyer the USS Carl M. Levin.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/12/politics/uss-carl-levin-navy-destroyer/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/12/politics/uss-carl-levin-navy-destroyer/index.html
Politics
Tradition
Shipbuilding
Naval Historical Foundation
Edited 8 y ago
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 49
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Ah Carl Levin! Piece of work, 40 plus years on the Senate Armed Services Committee and continually sold out his district Air National Guard Units at Selfridge by not fighting for them on a continuous basis. Never served a day in uniform and saw that many of his cronies got approved with lucrative DoD contracts...best politician money can buy!
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MSgt John McGowan
SMgt. I believe that carl levin was a liberal. Also that is Mr Obama's thinking. Honor the liberals.
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CDR William Kempner
PO1 (Join to see) - PO1/SMSGT, He was the organizer for the United Farm Workers union. (UFW) He actually was at my high school back around 1970-71. He was an ass. At the time, the UFW was having a big face-off with Gallo Vineyards. I remember him talking about Gallo wines, how they stunk, "would make you sick", lots of trash-talking-and he wasn't a kid. Gallo ultimately acceded to most of the union's requests, the UFW protests having damaged their sales, and then Chavez went around telling everyone how great Gallo wines were, and that everyone should buy them, etc. A creep. And we named a ship after him. How pathetic we have become.
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Welcome to the Obama administration. They seem to think they are above ALL rules and regulations!
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If I'm not mistaken, a specific class of ship has to be assigned the name of a Medal of Honor recipient. I'm not sure what class the politician ships are running in, and I'm not saying it's right to name an armed and defended floating piece of American soil after a man or woman who is only willing to tell others what to do with it rather than use it themselves, but I think there are restrictions on MoH namesake ships.
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PO2 David Allender
It use to be that destroyers were named for MOH winners, Carriers for naval battles, Battleships for states, and cruisers for cities, and Submarines for fish. It would seem that tradition has left port. They now name any ship the way they want to. Tradition is something that they have overlooked and forgotten in the Nay. Tradition was part of the pride of being in the Navy. Thank GOD that the marines still have their traditions.
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This guy is anti private gun ownership, sponsored bills that shut down many military bases and was against the military actions we have taken over the past 20 years. But why are we surprised that politicians are self serving?
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I've often wonder the same thing,if the person was a veteran then it makes sense but no politician other than the Commander in Chief should be considered!
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PO1 (Join to see)
10:34hrs 5 May, 2021. The house recently adjourned after a 2 day argument over the renaming of the Great Dismal Swamp. It was a toss-up between the Obama Dismal Swamp and Sharpton Soggy Bottom. They plan to re-convene after a day of rest. Most are looking forward to next week when they tackle the re-naming of the Potomac River.
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The Los Angeles class submarines were generally named after the home cities of the US Representatives who voted to fund the shipbuilding program, so I would say that naming a ship for political favors is nothing new. Not right, but not new.
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PO1 (Join to see)
I suppose the pecking order is closely associated with TIR, so there will be plenty of the politicians can spend their valuable time on. Post Offices, Bridges, Highways, Wild Life Refuges, Rivers, Streams, Creeks and Reservoirs. Wouldn't surprise me if we started seeing candy bars, pastries and beer with the name of the politicians with the most time on their hands. Huh?
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Give the politicians more time in the spotlight to hopefully ensure their crowning achievements are noticed by the electorate and to stop further erosion of that deplorable approval rating.
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It isn't the tradition the Navy is in a big hurry to brag about, but it is as traditional to name ships after politicians as it is to name them in any other way. Going back to the very beginning, when ships were named after Washington and Adams, the Navy has always courted political and public favor by naming ships for politicians who were particular supporters of naval affairs. That's the specific reason the USS John C. Stennis got its name, as well as a host of other currently active vessels. The Stennis is a Nimitz-class carrier, all of which except the lead ship in the class (USS Nimitz) were supposed to be named for presidents. Stennis was chair of the House Armed Services Committee for ages. He even got a pork-barrel Naval Air Station named for himself - the John C. Stennis Center/NAS Meridian MS.
There's nothing new about this 'tradition' at all. It's as old as the Navy itself.
PS: BTW, the profile pic of me you see here on this post? It was taken in the HQ building at Stennis Center/NAS Meridian.
There's nothing new about this 'tradition' at all. It's as old as the Navy itself.
PS: BTW, the profile pic of me you see here on this post? It was taken in the HQ building at Stennis Center/NAS Meridian.
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SPC David S.
Yes I'm aware of Stennis there is as well the NASA Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The names are indeed attached to the purse strings - The interesting thing about the USS Stennis it was built at Newport News and not at Ingalls in Mississippi. Not even sure if they could have built her down there.
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PO1 Gene Barfield
Being defense-minded since my Navy years I keep shaking my head at how few shipyards we have now in the U.S. As far as I know, Newport News is th eonly remaining one fully capable of building or refueling a carrier.
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MSgt John McGowan
PO1 During the Vietnam war Rep Stennis visited the base I was on. Most i could remember about it was he went over to a A2c last, that had been taking pictures. Shook his hand and talked to the young Airman a minute Told him good bye just like the Wing Commander was told good bye. Class act.
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