John Warner served in the US Navy at the end World War II leaving as a Petty Officer 3rd Class. In 1950 he reenlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at the outbreak of the Korean War, and served in Korea with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.
He was appointed Undersecretary of the Navy under the Nixon administration in 1972 and then succeeded John H. Chafee as Secretary of the Navy from May 1972 until 1974. After Ford became President, Warner was appointed to be a participant in the Law of the Sea talks, and negotiated the Incidents at Sea Executive Agreement with the Soviet Union which led to more pro-Detente Soviet-American relations.
He was then elected as a United States Senator from Virginia from January 2, 1979, to January 3, 2009. He was very involved with the Armed Services Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, and then on the Homeland Security Committee.
While it is not apropos for a sitting politician to receive such an honor, Warner left office in 2009 and was named after his retirement because of his involvement in the past, and really, throughout his life in service to the nation, and particularly for his naval involvement. He was born in 1927 and is now 88 years old.
The US has a history of naming capitol and other vessels for historically significant leaders. Warner is not too bad an example of this. Even though I did not like Clinton being named for an attack submarine because of his foreign policy debacles, he did serve well in the US Navy himself and did become the President.
I get the beejeevies when they name some solidly anti-American and anti-military person for ships purely out of political expediency throwing bones to "interest groups." The USNS Cesar Chavez comes to mind.
Still...we can overdo it. we need the historical names of battles and places added back to the mix.
For example, we did get the USS America back in the LHA-6...but I wish it had been named another carrier.
Anyhow...just my thoughts on the whole thing and the Warner in particular.
Would I rather see another USS Devilfish? You betcha...but we could do a whole lot worse than Warner too.
He was appointed Undersecretary of the Navy under the Nixon administration in 1972 and then succeeded John H. Chafee as Secretary of the Navy from May 1972 until 1974. After Ford became President, Warner was appointed to be a participant in the Law of the Sea talks, and negotiated the Incidents at Sea Executive Agreement with the Soviet Union which led to more pro-Detente Soviet-American relations.
He was then elected as a United States Senator from Virginia from January 2, 1979, to January 3, 2009. He was very involved with the Armed Services Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, and then on the Homeland Security Committee.
While it is not apropos for a sitting politician to receive such an honor, Warner left office in 2009 and was named after his retirement because of his involvement in the past, and really, throughout his life in service to the nation, and particularly for his naval involvement. He was born in 1927 and is now 88 years old.
The US has a history of naming capitol and other vessels for historically significant leaders. Warner is not too bad an example of this. Even though I did not like Clinton being named for an attack submarine because of his foreign policy debacles, he did serve well in the US Navy himself and did become the President.
I get the beejeevies when they name some solidly anti-American and anti-military person for ships purely out of political expediency throwing bones to "interest groups." The USNS Cesar Chavez comes to mind.
Still...we can overdo it. we need the historical names of battles and places added back to the mix.
For example, we did get the USS America back in the LHA-6...but I wish it had been named another carrier.
Anyhow...just my thoughts on the whole thing and the Warner in particular.
Would I rather see another USS Devilfish? You betcha...but we could do a whole lot worse than Warner too.