CVN-81.COMPRESERVE THE NAMECVN-81.COMPRESERVE THE NAMEThe Navy announced USS Doris Miller in 2020. In 2026, reporting emerged that the name could be reconsidered before the carrier reaches its next major construction milestones.
Recent national reporting says Navy leadership has considered changing CVN-81's announced name, USS Doris Miller, with President Donald Trump discussed as a possible namesake instead. No final renaming decision has been publicly announced.
The same reporting has described possible additional recognition for Doris Miller, including consideration of a posthumous Medal of Honor and the possibility of naming a different warship in his honor.
Those ideas raise a fundamental question: Why should additional recognition for Miller come at the cost of the aircraft-carrier honor already bestowed upon him? His valor earned him the distinction of having CVN-81 named in his honor. Additional recognition should add to that legacy, not diminish an honor already given.
President Trump made the remarks at a White House event on February 27, 2020, shortly after praising the Navy's decision to name CVN-81 for Doris Miller.
The 2020 remarks do not establish that Trump requested, directed, or approved any current renaming effort. They are relevant because he is now reportedly being considered as a potential new namesake for the carrier.
The controversy led to the creation of NoStolenValor.com, an independent civic project urging decision-makers to preserve the USS Doris Miller name while supporting appropriate additional recognition for Miller.
Our Change.org petition asks the Navy and other national decision-makers to keep CVN-81 named USS Doris Miller.
This site documents the ship, its construction and its namesake. The controversy is presented here because it is now part of CVN-81's public story. Campaign activity itself is centered at NoStolenValor.com.