Navy may name new aircraft carrier after Trump and not WWII hero

Key Points:

• The U.S. Navy is reportedly considering renaming the aircraft carrier CVN-81, initially named USS Doris Miller after WWII hero Doris Miller, to honor former President Donald Trump, marking a potential first for a sitting president to have a carrier named after them.
• Doris Miller, an African American sailor who heroically manned an anti-aircraft gun during the Pearl Harbor attack despite no formal training, was the first Black person to have a U.S. aircraft carrier named after him, a decision announced in 2020 to recognize his valor and break racial barriers.
• The Navy has halted internal use of the USS Doris Miller name, referring to the ship only by its hull number CVN-81 as the carrier's keel-laying ceremony approaches, while discussions about the renaming have been ongoing for months.
• Although the Navy plans to name another warship after Miller and is recommending him for the Medal of Honor, the White House has yet to approve this commendation; Miller's family has long advocated for this highest military honor.
• Miller, who died in 1943 during WWII, was awarded the Navy Cross and several other medals for his bravery at Pearl Harbor, and the USS Doris Miller was intended as a symbol of justice and tribute to his legacy as the first African American aircraft carrier namesake.