Navy mulls stripping Black war hero’s name from aircraft carrier for Trump: Sources

Sources familiar said the discussions have been going on most of the summer.

Navy officials are weighing whether to strip the name of one of World War II's most famed Black service members from a new aircraft carrier and instead possibly name the ship for President Donald Trump, according to three sources familiar with the matter, a move that would mark the unprecedented naming of a Navy vessel for a sitting president.

The carrier, which remains under construction in Virginia, was christened in name during Trump’s first administration, when the Navy announced the Ford-class ship would become the USS Doris Miller, honoring Miller's heroic actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor, during a ceremony on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2020.

During the 1941 attack, Miller, serving as a cook aboard the USS West Virginia, helped move the ship’s mortally wounded captain to safety before taking control of an anti-aircraft gun, despite having no formal training on the weapon. He was credited with shooting down at least one Japanese aircraft -- a notable feat during an attack in which only 29 of roughly 350 Japanese planes were brought down.

Miller was awarded the Navy Cross, the service’s second-highest decoration for combat heroism, behind only the Medal of Honor. The recognition was particularly significant at a time when the military was still racially segregated and Black troops were not always fully recognized for their service.

"Miller, despite enemy strafing and bombing and in the face of a serious fire, assisted in moving his captain, who had been mortally wounded, to a place of greater safety, and later manned and operated a machine gun directed at enemy Japanese attacking aircraft until ordered to leave the bridge," his award citation reads.

Miller died less than two years later, in November 1943, when a Japanese submarine torpedoed the USS Liscome Bay during the Battle of Makin, killing 700 sailors.

The USS Doris Miller would be the first aircraft carrier named for a Black American and the first to honor an enlisted service member. It would also be the second Navy ship to carry Miller's name. A destroyer named for him entered the fleet in 1972 and was decommissioned in 1991.

CNN first reported that the Navy was considering changing the carrier’s name. The White House referred questions from ABC News to the Pentagon, which did not respond to a request for comment. A Navy spokesperson said in a statement that the sea service "has no announcement to share at this time."

Three sources familiar said that the discussions about renaming the aircraft carrier have been going on most of the summer.

Miller is under strong consideration to have his Navy Cross upgraded to the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest recognition for combat valor, according to the three sources familiar with the discussions.