Happy Veteran's Day! Thank you to all who have served and continue to serve our great nation.

 

US Navy to Name Ship After Gay Rights Activist Harvey Milk

US Navy portrait of then Ens. Harvey Milk.

The US Navy is set to name a ship after the gay rights icon and San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, according to a Congressional notification obtained by USNI News.

The July 14, 2016 notification, signed by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, indicated he

intended to name a planned Military Sealift Command fleet oiler USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO-206). The ship would be the second of the John Lewis-class oilers being built by General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, Calif.

John Lewis-class oiler

The Secretary of the Navy’s office is deferring releasing additional information until the naming announcement, a Navy official told USNI News on Thursday.

Mabus has said the John Lewis-class – named after civil rights activist and congressman Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) – would be named after civil rights leaders.

Other names in the class include former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren whose court ruled to desegregate U.S. schools, former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, women’s right activist Lucy Stone and abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth.

Mabus has also named ships in the past for other civil rights icons, including the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ships USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE-13) and USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE-14).

Milk came from a Navy family and commissioned in the service in 1951. He served as a diving officer in San Diego during the Korean War on the submarine rescue ship Kittiwake until 1955. Milk was honorably discharged from the service as a lieutenant junior grade.

Following his service, Milk was elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors and was the first openly gay California politician to be elected to office. He was killed in office in 1978. When Milk was shot he was wearing his U.S. Navy diver’s belt buckle.

Over the last several years, there have been pushes from California politicians to have a ship named for Milk since the 2011 repeal of the Department of Defense’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” policy.

Naming a ship after Milk, “will further send a green light to all the brave men and women who serve our nation that honesty, acceptance and authenticity are held up among the highest ideals of our military,” said Milk’s nephew Stuart Milk in a statement to San Diego LGBT Weekly in 2012.

SOURCE

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12 easy steps you can do TODAY to help promote the US military

A DOZEN WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR MILITARY!  #1  Mail or email your representative and ask them tosponsor the NMAM 2011 Proclamation #2 FLY THE FLAG ON YOUR HOUSE, CAR, or BUSINESS DURING MAY #3 SEND A CARE PACKAGE TO A SOLDIER THROUGH USOCARES   #4 ORGANIZE AN EVENT IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY, AND AT YOUR WORKPLACE   #5 ASK YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AT ALL LEVELS TO RECOGNIZE OUR MILITARY  #6 SEND AN EMAIL OR LETTER OF THANKS THROUGH A Million Thanks  #7 ADOPT A HERO AT SOLDIERS' ANGELS!   #8 ASK LIBRARIES, SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN RECOGNIZING OUR ARMED FORCES   #9 ASK LOCAL MEDIA  (TV, RADIO, NEWSPAPER)  TO FEATURE   #10 WHEN YOU SEE A PERSON IN A MILITARY UNIFORM, SHAKE THEIR HAND AND SAY, "THANK YOU FOR SERVING OUR COUNTRY"   #11 WEAR A SUPPORT OUR TROOPS WRISTBAND OR SHIRT  #12 HIRE A VETERAN - VISIT HIRE A VET FIRST FOR MORE INFORMATION

Don't forget that May is National Military Appreciation Month...

In 1999, the US Congress designated May as National Military Appreciation Month to recognize our nation’s military personnel and their families. National Military Appreciation Month includes:

• Military Spouse Appreciation Day on May 6th
• Armed Forces Day on May 21st
• and Memorial Day on May 30th

Virginia Rep. Tom Davis, along with 16 cosponsors, introduced Concurrent Resolution No. 328 in the House in November. The Senate agreed to it without amendment and by unanimous consent April 26, 1999.

The resolution states that the House, with the Senate concurring, "supports the goals and objectives of a National Military Appreciation Month." It also "urges the president to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States, localities, organizations and media to annually observe" the month "with appropriate ceremonies and activities. Finally, the resolution urges the White House Commission on Remembrance to "work to support the goals and objectives" of the month.

The Senate first passed a resolution in 1999 designating National Military Appreciation Month. That declaration summoned U.S. citizens to observe the month "in a symbol of unity, … to honor the current and former members of the armed forces, including those who have died in the pursuit of freedom and peace."

Traditionally, May has focused on the military in many ways. For example, Public Service Recognition Week, celebrated the first full Monday through Sunday in May since 1985, recognizes the roles of public servants, including the military, at local, state, regional and federal levels. As a part of PSRW, communities across America showcase military equipment and service members from U.S. installations. The largest PSRW event takes place on Washington's National Mall, where more than 100 federal agencies, including the military services, put their activities, people and equipment on public display. This year's mall event is May 6-9.

Armed Forces Day, created in 1949, is an annual event held on the third Saturday in May, with activities at U.S. military bases around the world. This year's celebration occurs May 15.

The month culminates with Memorial Day, a federal holiday on the last Monday in May. The day, dating from the Civil War era, traditionally has marked recognition of those who have died in service to the nation. Each year on Memorial Day, the White House Commission on Remembrance promotes one minute of silence at 3 p.m. local time to honor the military's fallen comrades and to pay tribute to the sacrifices by the nation's service members and veterans.

To learn more about this special month, follow this link:http://www.nmam.org/

The U.S could eliminate the military and still not balance the budget

Know-Y.org: "The U.S could eliminate the military and still not balance the budget."

The U.S could eliminate the military and still not balance the budget. Learn more at http://know-y.org/

You can see the amounts owed to various countries as of December 2010 in the chart below (Source: Department of the Treasury):

Numbers are in Billions (e.g. 1160 = $1.2 trillion)