In a letter sent Wednesday to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, Tom Graves (R-GA-14) asked the U.S. Navy to reconsider naming a ship USS Carl M. Levin and instead name the vessel USS Chattanooga.
“I am writing today to express concern with recent U.S. Navy ship naming decisions and to again respectfully request that you give all due consideration to honoring the five service members killed in the terrorist attack in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on July 16, 2015 by naming an appropriate naval vessel the USS Chattanooga…There is clearly ample justification for honoring these five service members.
That is why I was surprised and disappointed when it came to my attention that the decision has been made to name DDG-120 after retired Senator Carl Levin,” wrote Rep. Graves.
The full text of the letter is available here.
The Navy announced that it would name DDG-120 after former Senator Carl Levin on April 11, 2016. Prior to that announcement, on March 18, 2016, Rep. Graves, joined by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Bob Corker (R-TN) and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03), sent a letter to Secretary Mabus asking the Navy to consider naming an appropriate vessel USS Chattanooga. That letter is available here.
One of the victims of the Chattanooga terror attack, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith, lived in Rossville, which is part of the 14th District. Another victim, Marine Lance Cpl. Skip Wells, was from Marietta, Ga.