Free Republic

As the Obama administration this week named another warship after a politician, a new report is circulating in Congress that shows that nearly 200 Navy and Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients have never been awarded such an honor, contrary to naval guidelines and tradition. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who has named several ships after Democrats and liberal activists not connected to the military, was in Detroit on Monday to announce that an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will be named the USS Carl M. Levin. The Michigan Democrat served 31 years in the Senate and chaired the Senate Armed Services...

The Senate wants the Navy to explain how it selects names for new ships in the wake of controversy over the naming of a ship in memory of labor leader Cesar Chavez. A little-noticed provision of a defense bill that passed the Senate last week would direct the Navy to submit a report to Congress on its naming of vessels. The provision was sought by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who told reporters in a conference call last week that in light of recent controversies over ship namings, the Navy should seek "more input and think more carefully about who we’re...