Interesting. I hadn’t heard about this. Upon reflection, I like the idea of naming ships after nonmilitary heroes. As important as the military is, it should not be our only source of inspiration. I have been getting increasingly concerned about respect for the military becoming worship of militarism, something that a lot of chickenhawk politicians like to take advantage of. It’s worth noting that many of our best leaders had experienced war, and as a consequence worked hard to avoid it. This is a good thing.And after all, the British Navy names ships after traits instead of people sometimes – so what’s the big deal?Also, speaking from a US historical angle, this is hardly new. George Washington wanted the names of the Navy’s first six ships to be inspired by the Constitution: The Constitution, the United States, the President, the Congress, the Constellation, and, arbitrarily named by the first navy secretary, the Chesapeake.
Interesting. I hadn’t heard about this. Upon reflection, I like the idea of naming ships after nonmilitary heroes. As important as the military is, it should not be our only source of inspiration. I have been getting increasingly concerned about respect for the military becoming worship of militarism, something that a lot of chickenhawk politicians like to take advantage of. It’s worth noting that many of our best leaders had experienced war, and as a consequence worked hard to avoid it. This is a good thing.And after all, the British Navy names ships after traits instead of people sometimes – so what’s the big deal?Also, speaking from a US historical angle, this is hardly new. George Washington wanted the names of the Navy’s first six ships to be inspired by the Constitution: The Constitution, the United States, the President, the Congress, the Constellation, and, arbitrarily named by the first navy secretary, the Chesapeake.