A naming ceremony in honor of the first U.S. Navy ship to be named after a Filipino Medal of Honor recipient was held on Jan. 10 on Capitol Hill.
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro celebrated the naming of an Arleigh Burke-class Destroyer the USS Telesforo Trinidad in memory of Navy Fireman Second Class Telesforo de la Cruz Trinidad.
The ship’s two sponsors are Christine Trinidad, one of Trinidad’s two great-granddaughters of and retired Rear Adm. Connie Mariano, the first Filipino-American in history to become a Navy Admiral and the first military woman in American history to be appointed White House Physician.
Trinidad received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Mexican waters near La Paz, on board the USS San Diego on Jan. 21, 1915. He saved the lives of two of his fellow servicemembers following a series of boiler room explosions.
“A ship’s commanding officer will change hands, and the crew will come and go, but the sponsors hold a special bond through the ship’s entire lifetime,” said Del Toro. “I am excited for the enduring partnership that Christine and Connie will build with this ship and the crew in the years to come.”
Trinidad is the second service member and the first and only sailor of Asian descent to receive the award in peacetime.
Related
“As a Navy veteran, a VFW [Veterans of Foreign Wars] member and a proud Filipino-American, I am so honored to be part of this celebration of true heroism,” said VFW Senior Vice Commander-in-Chief Duane Sarmiento, who attended the ceremony.
The VFW made a concerted effort to push for the naming, including passing a resolution in support of the honor in 2021 and sending a letter to Del Toro.
“We are grateful to the secretary that he would honor not only Telesforo Trinidad but generations of Filipinos who, for the past 100 years, have faithfully and honorably served in the United States military,” said Sarmiento.
Related
Trinidad served during both World Wars before retiring to the Philippines, where he died at the age of 77 on May 8, 1968.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.