Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro on Saturday urged the passage of legislation aiding Ukraine and the fight for democracy worldwide.

In remarks before a speech at the commissioning of the USS John L. Canley in Coronado, Del Toro called for continued support of the troops.

“I encourage all of you to reach out to your own members of the House of Representatives, and ask them to pass the supplementals that are necessary over the next few weeks to keep the government open, to keep all of these brave men and women employed and supported them as they deserve to be,” he said.

He cited our “fellow brothers and sisters in Ukraine, who are so bravely today fighting for democracy, not just for themselves, but for all of us around the world, so that democracy will always reign free everywhere.”

The Navy secretary was the main speaker at a ceremony to crew the 785-foot Expeditionary Sea Base named after Marine Sgt. Maj. John L. Canley, who repeatedly risked his life to save wounded fellow Marines in the 1968 Battle of Hue City in Vietnam.

In 2018, Canley was the first Black man to receive the Medal of Honor while alive. He initially was awarded the Navy Cross.

Canley served as company gunnery sergeant, Company A, First Battalion, First Marines, 1st Marine Division in Vietnam from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, 1968. Canley passed away May 11, 2022, in Bend, Oregon.

At the live-streamed ceremony, Sgt. Maj. Carlos Ruiz spoke of Canley’s dedication to care for fellow service members.

Despite being wounded, Canley repeatedly put himself in danger to take fellow Marines to safety.

“Where did he learn this stuff?” Ruiz asked. “Cause that’s not technically what we teach. We teach cover. We teach maneuver when the conditions are set.”

But for Canley, care for each other overtook procedure, he said.

During the morning ceremony at Naval Air Station North Island, Canley was praised for his courage and humility.

“In our initial engagement, I was struck by Sgt. Maj. Canley’s sincerity, and his humility. In time, I gained an appreciation for his commitment to service, and his character as well,” recalled Gen. Joseph P. Dunford Jr., 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and 36th commandant of the Marine Corps.

“In addition to being understated, Sgt. Maj. Canley was uncomfortable in being singled out for his actions in Vietnam,” Dunford said.

Canley was offended by the lack of recognition Vietnam veterans received when they returned home, Dunford added.

Del Toro remarked on Canley’s contribution to the Marine Corps.

“He served as an inspiration to the over 40,000 Marines that are deployed today around the globe,” the cabinet member said. “In the Red Sea over the last 90 days, our sailors and our Marines have acted bravely with courage under fire the way that I think Sergeant Major would have wanted them to do. I’m extremely proud of each and every one of them.”

Del Toro went on to mention the percentage of Black service members: 16% in the Navy and 10% in the Marine Corps.

Noting Black History Month, Del Toro said: “Ultimately, our Navy, our Marine Corps, our nation is made stronger by their diversity — the diversity of background, of experiences, the diversity of thought, which ensures that our ability to out-think, out-pace and out-maneuver our adversaries forever remain strong.”

Patricia A. Sargent, Canley’s daughter, is sponsor of the ship, whose motto is “Courage Under Fire.”

“My father understood that greatness is not achieved by the individual,” she said. “It is achieved by the courageous acts of the many. The Marines of Alpha Company 1/1 are an example of that in what they achieved in the Battle of Hue City.

“This ship will achieve greatness, but it will only do that by the courageous actions of the many,” Sargent told an audience of 1,200.

“It is in honor of my father, my family, members of the 1/1, and the great people of the United States that I give the command: Officers and Crew of the USS John L. Canley, man our ship and bring her to life!”


Capt. Thomas Mays, the NASSCO-built ship’s commanding officer, said the vessel’s “footprint upon the seas is not the extent of her reach, nor the measure of her impact upon this world.”

“The length, breadth and endurance of that impact rests solely with you and I, with how we back one another, with how we handle our charge to care for this vessel, and with how we approach our sacred duty to defend these United States,”

he said of the Canley, to be part of the Forward Deployed Naval Force operating from Saipan.

David Carver, president of General Dynamics NASSCO, reminded everyone of ESB 6’s “remarkable capabilities that will allow our servicemen and women to carry out a wide variety of missions, including mine counter measures, counter piracy operations, maritime security operations, humanitarian aid, disaster relief missions, special operations and Marine Corps crisis response.”

“The ship is designed to support nearly every rotary wing aircraft in the DoD inventory,” he continued, “as well as allied aircraft, all while serving off the fleet’s third largest flight deck.

Canley has substantial residual space, weight and power to accommodate a wide range of current and future manned and unmanned, surface, aerial and undersea systems across multiple warfighting functions, he said.

“This is a massive, capable, flexible warship that gives fleet commanders decision space they need throughout their operating theaters,” Carver concluded.