Activist honored in controversial U.S. Naval ship christening

On behalf of the Obama White House and the U.S. Department of Defense, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Wednesday the selection of a Naval vessel named after an avowed follower of Marxist activist and author (Rules for Radicals) Saul Alinsky.

The USNS Cesar Chavez was selected as latest addition to the 14th Lewis and Clark class of dry cargo/ammunition ships.

Continuing the Lewis and Clark-class tradition of honoring legendary pioneers and explorers, the Navy's newest underway replenishment ship honors the memory of Mexican-American civil rights activist Cesar Chavez.

Chavez served in the Navy from 1944-1946, but described his experience in the military as “the two worst years of my life.” After leaving the service he became a leader in the American Labor Movement and a civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers, according to the Navy Secretary.

Chavez's mentor was activist Fred Ross. Ross began organizing and obtained the interest of Saul Alinsky, a well known organizer and head of the Industrial Areas Foundation. Alinsky is credited with influencing Americans such as Barack Obama with his teachings and writings such as his book Rules for Radicals.

In September 1947, Alinsky hired Chavez and Ross to organize Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles. He organized in Southern California for 6 years before moving on to San Jose, which was the largest Spanish center outside of Los Angeles.

"Cesar Chavez inspired young Americans to do what is right and what is necessary to protect our freedoms and our country," said Secretary Mabus. "The Cesar Chavez will sail hundreds of thousands of miles and will bring support and assistance to thousands upon thousands of people. His example will live on in this great ship."

However, many veterans are unhappy with the Chavez choice. For example, U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., was notified by a Navy official earlier Tuesday that the service planned to name the 14th and final ship in the Lewis-and-Clark class of cargo ships after Chavez, a spokesman for Hunter said.

“This decision shows the direction the Navy is heading. Naming a ship after Cesar Chavez goes right along with other recent decisions by the Navy that appear to be more about making a political statement than upholding the Navy’s history and tradition,” Hunter said in a news release.

Hunter, a Marine Corps veteran who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said the Navy should consider naming a ship after the late Lt. John Finn, a World War II veteran who received the Medal of Honor, or the late Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta, who was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004.

Designated T-AKE 14, Cesar Chavez is being built by General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego. Eleven of the T-AKEs are slated to serve as combat logistics force (CLF) ships, and three are slated to be part of the maritime pre-positioning force (MPF).

The Cesar Chavez will serve the CLF missions, helping the Navy maintain a worldwide forward presence by delivering ammunition, food, fuel and other dry cargo to U.S. and allied ships at sea.

The Cesar Chavez will be designated as a United States Naval Ship (USNS), and operated by the Navy's Military Sealift Command with a crew of civil service mariners (129 in CLF mode, 75 in MPF mode). For CLF missions, the T-AKEs' crews include a small detachment of sailors.

Like her sister dry cargo/ammunition ships, T-AKE 14 is designed to operate independently for extended periods at sea and can carry two helicopters and their crews. The ship is 689 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 105 feet, displaces approximately 41,000 tons, and is capable of reaching a speed of 20 knots.

On September 8, 1994, Chávez was presented, posthumously, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton. The award was received by his widow, Helen Chávez.

Jim Kouri, CPP, formerly Fifth Vice-President, is currently a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, an editor for ConservativeBase.com, and he's a columnist for Examiner.com. In addition, he's a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.
He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer and columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, etc.

To subscribe to Kouri's newsletter write to COPmagazine@aol.com and write "Subscription" on the subject line.