Congressman, LGBT leaders press Navy for a ship to be named USS Harvey Milk

[The Philosopher]

from LGBT Weekly

Congressman Bob Filner (D-California) has joined with several prominent LGBT civil rights leaders from San Diego and across the country, calling on the US Navy to name “ … the next appropriate ship after Harvey Milk.”

The late civil rights icon, Harvey Milk was a Navy veteran who began his service during the Korean War. In Korea, he served aboard the submarine rescue ship USS Kittiwake as a diving officer. Milk was also stationed at Naval Station, San Diego where he was a diving instructor. Milk, whose parents, both also served in the US Navy was honorably discharged at the rank of Lieutenant, junior grade.

The GLBT Historic Task Force (the Task Force) of San Diego County sent an official letter to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, last week, requesting that Harvey Milk be considered as the namesake of a naval submarine, carrier or other vessel named “in his honor and memory.”

San Diego City Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez a longtime gay- and Latino rights activist and chair of the Task Force, announced the launch of a national campaign in partnership with the Harvey Milk Foundation and the International Court System (a charitable services membership organization with chapters in 68 cities.)

The GLBT Historic Task Force is also leading a movement to make San Diego the first city in the US to name a street in honor of Milk. “We in San Diego are very proud that Harvey Milk was stationed in our city and fell in love with California here,” said Murray Ramirez, who has served the last five mayors of San Diego. Murray Ramirez was a friend of Harvey Milk in the 1970s and is co-chair of the Harvey Milk Foundation’s International Advisory Council.

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[William769]

1. Now that would be something.

[unc70]

2. Was just looking at my pictures of that night

Was looking at some of my pictures from that day/night in San Francisco. (I happened to be in SF that week and posted about it on DU2, probably in 2008 and included in my DU2 journal.)

Looking back, I wish I had been better prepared and had taken more and better pictures that day and particularly that night. Though I had watched in person many of the events that day outside City Hall, I did not learn about the vigil until at an early dinner with a SF friend. Several of her friends were singing in the Chorus that night, and after dinner we joined those coming from the Castro.

I had two cameras with the wrong film. A glorified "Instamatic" barely suitable for that picture of friends at a restaurant and my 35mm that stll had daylight slide film and the wrong lenses! I took a few quick pictures with what I had with me, then ran back to my hotel room, changed lenses, took a couple of quick pics from my window that had a clear view of the crowd, changed to the fastest film i had (400 print), a couple more from the window, then back down to the vigil and another dozen relatively mediocre attempts.

I came upon some of these pictures tonight while looking for something unrelated from my distant(?) past. Need to find that last 12+ again and see how much modern technology might enhance and improve all these images.

I feel an obligation to preserve and make available even "insignificant" pieces of the historic record like this. Maybe I by chance took the only pictures that showed some who were there that night.

Please excuse my off-topic rambling here tonight.