A Black war hero's family denounced President Donald Trump's reported move to rename the USS Doris Miller.
On Thursday, CNN revealed that the Navy is taking steps to rename the USS Doris Miller, an aircraft carrier that's still being built, and has already stopped referring to it by the name meant to honor the Pearl Harbor hero.
Doris Miller is known for his response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and was portrayed in the 2001 movie "Pearl Harbor" by Cuba Gooding Jr. The reported renaming comes as Trump has dismissed the dismal conditions of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and ordered the USS Doris Miller to rip out its electromagnetic catapults in favor of steam-powered systems.
On Thursday night, CNN anchor Laura Coates spoke to Thomas Bledsoe, the great-nephew of Doris Miller. Bledsoe relayed the reaction and concerns from Miller's descendants and surviving family.
"For our family, it was quite a shock to hear that there was conversation about the possibility of renaming the Doris Miller carrier," Bledsoe said. "Not only was it a shock, but it was also a shock that we found out from a news outlet, comparably from the Navy."
Finding out "caused a lot of concerns and uncertainty," Bledsoe said. CNN reported that the Navy is considering awarding Miller the Medal of Honor, the highest honor in the military, and renaming another ship after him, but Bledsoe said his family was concerned about the "timing" of those decisions.
Coates asked him what he would say to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Bledsoe said, "I would really want someone to take the time to realize the true impact of changing the name and what it would do to society."
He added, "Doris Miller stands for so much about America and who we are today."