USS TELESFORO TRINIDAD CAMPAIGN (USSTTC) “Ship and Shipmate Before Self”

MISSION:   Name a US Navy Warship (Destroyer--DDG or Frigate--FFG) after Fireman Second Class Telesforo Trinidad, an American national of Filipino descent who received the Medal of Honor on April 1, 1915, for extraordinary heroism and intrepidity in the line of his profession to memorialize his heroic contributions to the U.S. Navy and our grateful Nation.

VISION:   Perpetuate PO2 Trinidad’s heroic contributions to promote national awareness and education   and bring pride and honor to the US Navy, its Sailors – officer and enlisted, their families and our Republic.

WHO WE ARE:  USSTTC is a national grass roots advocacy group comprised of serving and retired members of the US Armed Forces, community leaders, academics, corporate executives, civic leaders, partners and sponsors, and veterans’ families committed to naming a US Navy Warship after Trinidad. (A 501(c)(3) application is in progress).

BACKGROUND:  No US Navy ship has been named after a member of the US Armed Forces of Filipino descent, even though tens of thousands of Filipinos have served faithfully in the US Navy beginning in 1901 when President William McKinley signed an Executive Order allowing the Navy to enlist 500 Filipinos as part of the Insular Force.  Approximately 6,000 Filipinos enlisted in the US Navy during WWI and many more joined through the interwar period leading up to WWII.  After the Philippines obtained its independence from the United States in 1946, over 35,000 Filipinos were recruited into the US Navy from 1952 to 1992 under a provision of the Republic of the Philippines- United States Military Bases Agreement. In addition, thousands of Americans of Filipino descent enlisted during this same 40-year period, and continue to do so until today.  

DISCUSSION:  Trinidad remains the first and only American of Asian descent and first American national of Filipino descent in the US Navy to receive a Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession during boiler explosions onboard the USS San Diego (ACR-6) while the ship was underway in the Gulf of California on January 21, 1915.  Trinidad brought two crewmembers to safety in spite of his own physical injuries from the explosion.  He was awarded the Medal of Honor in accordance with General Order Number 142 signed by the Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels on  April 1, 1915.

To date, there is only one ship, the USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93) named after an Asian American in the Navy - Rear Admiral Gordon Pai’ea Chung-Hoon, Commanding Officer of USS Sigsbee (DD-502) during World War II, who received the Navy Cross for his gallant actions during a kamikaze attack on April 14, 1945. 

RECOMMENDATION:  Name a US Navy Warship-- Destroyer or Frigate--after PO2 Telesforo Trinidad, which follows in the proud tradition of the US Navy in naming a ship after a Medal of Honor Recipient.

POINT OF CONTACT:  Cecilia I. Gaerlan

Email:  cecilia@bataanlegacy.org;  Cell: (510) 520-8540