US Navy names warship after wounded lawmaker

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Agence France-Presse

US Navy names warship after wounded lawmaker
Sunday, 12 February 2012 03:12

WASHINGTON: The US Navy named a new warship after Gabrielle Giffords on Friday, honouring the former Arizona lawmaker who survived a gunman’s bullet to the head a year ago.

The USS Gabrielle Giffords represented a fitting tribute to a congresswoman who embodies the navy’s “unwavering courage,” Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said at a ceremony at the Pentagon.

“So it’s very appropriate that LCS 10 be named for someone who has become synonymous with courage, who has inspired the nation with remarkable resiliency and showed the possibilities of the human spirit,” said Mabus, as Giffords and her husband looked on. Mabus also said the ship’s sponsor would be Roxanna Green, the mother of a nine-year-old girl -- Christina Taylor-Green -- who was killed in the same shooting spree that left Giffords wounded.

Under naval tradition, a sponsor’s “spirit and presence guide the ship throughout its service life,” the Pentagon said in a statement. Giffords was shot in the head a year ago while she met with constituents outside a grocery store in Tuscon.


Read more: http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/international/183104-us-navy-names-warship-after-wounded-lawmaker-.html

[MADem]

1. Good choice! nt

[caseymoz]

2. Hmm. The irony here is thick.

Let's see. She takes a disabling shot to the head by a schizophrenic who have never had a gun. So to honor her, they name a boat loaded with bigger guns and ammunition after her.

I'd also like to honor her, but this seems in bad taste. It's almost like Smith & Wesson introduced a new handgun called the Gabrielle Giffords.

[Sherman A1]

3. Agreed

I really don't think any ships of the United States Navy should be named for any living person. I believe they should be at least 50 years between their passing and the naming of a ship to honor them to allow the dust to settle upon their legacy.

[Posteritatis]

12. The trend to name them after living people bugs me more than the names themselves lately. (nt)

[lacrew]

4. I'm lukewarm on the name

But for different reasons. There are ships named after Lincoln and JFK, both gunshot victims. I'm sure Giffords approved the use of her name.

Why don't I like the name? Like it or not, we devote a huge amount of national treasure to Navy warships. They patrol the world, and are seen by many.

And, the ships bear names that represent places, big events, big ideas, and big people (usually presidents)...as much money that is spent on these ships, they really are an extension of America...and the names reflect that. You may not like all the presidents with ships named after them; but, it is hard to ignore that they all had a huge influence on American history.

Will Giffords have a huge influence on our history? I don't know. Her story isn't even over yet, as she is still alive. Realistically - probably not. Its a nice gesture...but it doesn't fit the mold of the other names.

[sulphurdunn]

5. You wouldn't want to send

sailors into harms way in ships that had acronyms and numbers but not names.

[bluedigger]

7. There are conventions to the naming of US naval vessels.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_ship_naming_conventions

I didn't see this class in the reference, though. I believe it is a landing craft (vehicle). In the big scheme of the US Navy, it's a minor player.

[lacrew]

9. Its one of these

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littoral_combat_ship

[pasto76]

6. your reply equates all servicemen and women to the same level as Loughtner

speaking as a veteran and soldier, yes, thats how it comes across.

There's about a bazillion other things, like, I dont know, selfless service, integrity and stuff, that make up a troop. That "bigger gun" stuff, is a small part. I just spent a three day weekend with my battalion. Of those 58 hours, I fired my weapon for maybe 5 minutes total. I wont fire it again for a year, but I'll do plenty of civil support training until then.

try not to get all wrapped up in the super uber left ideology sometimes.

[caseymoz]

8. And as a veteran, I'll say this:

At the unconscious level, they come from the very same drive. Same air, different horn. Is there a difference? Yes, the horn makes a lot of difference. The mechanism is still the same, though.

Within his delusion, it's quite possible Jared Loughner thought he was doing something similar to what you're doing. He probably had his own made-up country he was defending. I mean, look at the smile in his mug shot. Tell me he didn't think he earned a medal or something close. With his mind malfunctioning, lying to him, and feeding him false perceptions, he thought he was doing something good, and like you, he was armed to do it.

As veteran I'll also tell you: I think this country is too militaristic. I think we honor and celebrate military service a too much, to the point where we call anybody who's served in Iraq or Afghanistan heroes. It's also to the point where we have three holidays a year honoring soldiers and veterans. What other notable thing gets three holidays in this society? Without the civilians, the people who didn't fire a shot, but did write the Declaration and the Constitution, this country would probably look like Bolivia. Yet, on the Fourth, we honor the military.

Besides the selfless service to the country and all that, how many guys in your company joined for the money? Or because it educated them and opened some doors? The military has promoted this in their advertisements. After they're in, the selfless service and patriotism is then planted and amplified in their personalities for obvious reasons.

That's not to say that I'm not thankful to the military that the communists didn't come through my home and sift the ashes. Thank you. Should I thank the US military also for not initiating nuclear war itself, as it came very close to doing, and blowing us all up?

You are not going to like that I said this. However, I have unconscious motivations that I can't see in myself as well, that other people can see better, and I'd deny vehemently if people point them out. Usually they're too polite to do it, but here I'm a little rude. The human mind has evolved to operate in denial, with the unconscious driving us, and the conscious mind making up the cover story. That's true of everyone. Nevertheless, with much better weapons than in the past, we better give our drives toward violence a closer look.

[Recursion]

13. Don't worry. At the rate Pascagoula is screwing them up, the LCS won't be deployed for a century

Worst Navy boondoggle since the LCAC. But I don't share your particular worry.

[lastlib]

10. They should have named a hospital ship for her--

something devoted to healing rather than killing.

[mahina]

11. I appreciate that choice. For those who say the ship is intended to cause harm so is a bad choice,

remember that just war is supposed to be a last resort, to bring peace.

[One_Life_To_Give]

14. An AK might have been more appropriate than essentially a Frigate

Maybe I am too much of a traditionalist. But I would think a ship like an AK, Merchant Ship. Would be more fitting of a Congresspersons stature than a ship with the firepower of a modern Frigate intended for the Straits of Taiwan and similar shallow draft locations.