OAKLAND, Calif. - The Pentagon on Sunday confirmed that the naval ship USNS Cesar Chavez will keep its name.
The military had announced earlier this summer it was considering changing the name of the ship to further the priorities of the Trump administration.
The ship, which was launched in 2012, was named for Cesar Chavez, a Navy veteran from San Jose who in the 1960s organized the labor union United Farm Workers. Chavez went on to become one of the United States' most important labor leaders.
Congressmen Sam Liccardo and Gil Cisneros of Southern California sought to prevent the name change.
"Cesar Chavez wore our nation's uniform and spent his life fighting for justice," Liccardo said in a statement. "I'm relieved there are no plans to remove his name from the USNS Cesar Chavez — may his life and legacy continue to inspire those who serve our nation."
One of several
Big picture view:
The vessel, a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship, was one of several that were being considered for a rechristening earlier this summer. Other ships included the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Lucy Stone and USNS Medgar Evers.
One such ship, the USNS Harvey Milk, was renamed in June as the USNS Oscar V. Peterson. The vessel was originally named for gay rights icon Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He was assassinated in 1978 by former supervisor Dan White, who was sentenced to seven years for the crime.
Erasing the past
The backstory:
It was not the first time Hegseth, a former co-host of Fox and Friends and veteran of the Minnesota National Guard, moved to rename a military asset.
He made headlines in February for renaming North Carolina's Fort Liberty as Fort Bragg, the name it has carried since it was established in 2018. The original name was a reference to Confederate General Braxton Bragg, whom historians have called one of the worst generals of the civil war.
The fort was renamed in 2022 after Congress determined that individuals who sided with the Confederate Army to fight against the United States were unworthy of being namesakes.
Hegseth renamed the installation as Fort Bragg, but his order said the name pays tribute to Pfc. Roland Bragg, a recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his actions during the Battle of the Bulge in World War 2.