'Shouldn't be renamed at all': Mark Kelly blasts reported Trump carrier move

WASHINGTON, DC: Arizona Sen Mark Kelly said the Navy’s reported plan to rename a carrier honoring Dorie Miller should be abandoned, challenging President Trump.

Miller was a Black sailor who defended US forces during Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor despite having no training on the anti-aircraft gun.

Kelly, a Democrat and retired Navy officer, made the criticism Friday in a post on X as internal discussions over the carrier’s name continue.

Mark Kelly invokes Dorie Miller's sacrifice

“Dorie Miller’s bravery at Pearl Harbor is legendary and resulted in him being awarded the Navy Cross,” Kelly wrote.

“This aircraft carrier shouldn’t be renamed at all, let alone for Donald Trump, who has denigrated servicemembers like Dorie Miller who have paid the ultimate price,” he added.

As per the CNN report, the renaming would affect the Ford-class carrier the Navy announced in January 2020 would be named the USS Doris Miller - using his given name, Doris.

Three sources familiar with internal discussions told the outlet that the Navy is working to change that name.

Two sources told the outlet there have been internal conversations about naming the carrier for Trump, which would be an unprecedented move to name an aircraft carrier after a sitting president.

The Navy is instead looking to name another warship after Miller, according to one source, and is recommending him for the Medal of Honor, as per the report. 

Final authorization for that award rests with Congress and approval from Trump.

Dorie Miller's family was not informed

Thomas Bledsoe, Miller’s great-nephew, said the family had not been informed about the name change effort or the renewed Medal of Honor recommendation. 

He said the family has sought the honor “for years” and called the Navy’s recommendation “very positive.”

A Defense Department spokesperson told the outlet there was “nothing to announce at this time.”

The effort to rename the carrier has been underway since earlier this year, according to the report. 

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao and his office have also been examining whether to update guidance on how ships are named and who they can be named after, including presidents.

The Navy has stopped referring to the ship internally as USS Doris Miller and is using its hull number, CVN-81, according to one source.

Dorie Miller's legacy shaped the carrier's name

The Navy named the carrier for Miller during a Martin Luther King Jr Day ceremony in Pearl Harbor in January 2020. 

Then-Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said Miller was “an American sailor” whose uniform was the same as that worn by sailors regardless of race or political persuasion.

Miller enlisted in 1939 and was serving as a Mess Attendant Third Class when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

After helping his wounded commanding officer, he took control of an anti-aircraft gun despite having no training on the system, according to the VA account.

In 1942, Admiral Chester Nimitz presented Miller with the Navy Cross. Miller was later killed during the Battle of Makin when his ship was hit by a Japanese submarine’s torpedo.

It was the first aircraft carrier named for an enlisted sailor and the first aircraft carrier named for an African American.

Modly defended that choice, saying, “Ultimately, these names are meant to be symbolic and unifying for the Navy, and the nation it serves.” 

He said naming ships for sailors such as Miller could raise awareness of “the heroism, patriotism and sacrifices of all American sailors — not merely their commanders,” the outlet reported.