Five years ago, when Americans were grappling with the last vestiges of slavery, racism and segregation by removing statues and other symbols of those unsavory parts of our nation’s history, Donald Trump argued against such a movement. “We should learn from the history…And if you don’t understand your history, you will go back to it again,” he said in a Fox interview.
Today, that same man is attempting to erase from recent history stories of achievement, honor, heroism, perseverance by men and women of certain ethnicity, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. Stories we should be proud of; stories that reflect who we really are; stories “we should learn from.”
In particular in the Defense Department, home to so many present and past heroes, the Trump administration is erasing, distorting and corrupting history by purging stories, images and other reminders of contributions made to our nation by minorities, people of color, women, LGBTQ and others under the guise of ridding the military of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives.
A Feb. 27, 2026, DoD memorandum directed DoD components, to “remove and archive DoD news articles, photos, and videos promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), including content related to critical race theory, gender ideology, and identity-based programs.”
Many of the webpages mentioned below have been restored amid a huge public outcry. The following is a brief list of some of the most outlandish “purges.”
On February 10, even before Hegseth’s “directive,” Military.com reported that the Army’s link to its “Women in Army History” page had been taken down as well as a page devoted to women’s service in the U.S. Navy, and a page entitled “Navy Women of Courage and Intelligence.”
On March 13, Task and Purpose published the story that the website for the Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) had “scrubbed dozens of pages on gravesites and educational materials that include histories of prominent Black, Hispanic and female service members buried in the cemetery, along with educational material on dozens of Medal of Honor recipients and maps of prominent gravesites of Marine Corps veterans and other services.”
This was done, as confirmed by Cemetery officials to Task & Purpose, “to meet recent orders by President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth targeting race and gender-related language and policies in the military.”
Responding to a Snopes enquiry, an ANC spokesperson said in a March 15 email, “We are hoping to begin republishing updated education modules next week.”
On March17, Military.com reported, “Highest-Ranking Black Medal of Honor Recipient Erased in Pentagon DEI Purge,” referring to Maj. Gen. Charles Calvin Rogers who received the Medal of Honor for “his gallant defense of a firebase in Vietnam” where he was wounded three times.
Could the removal have been because, as a post at the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website states, “[Gen. Rogers] worked diligently for race and gender equality in the military before he retired from the Army in 1984, after 32 years of service…”?
Also on March 17, the Washington Post reported the removal of a DoD webpage celebrating Pfc. Ira Hayes, “a Pima Indian who was one of the six Marines photographed hoisting a U.S. flag on Iwo Jima in 1945, as an emblem of the ‘contributions and sacrifices Native Americans have made to the United States, not just in the military, but in all walks of life.’”
On March 18, the Military Times reported that DoD had removed from its websites articles about Native American service members – the “Navajo Code Talkers” — who used their native tongue as an unbreakable code contributing to allied victories in World War I and II.
(CIA photo)
On March 19, NBC News reported that “The military story of Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball after serving as a 2nd lieutenant in the Army, no longer exists on the Defense Department’s website…”
At one time, according to NBC, Robinson faced a court-martial for refusing to sit in the back of a bus while at Fort Hood in Texas. He was found not guilty of insubordination and on other counts.
A lengthy March 19 Military Times article identifies several stories removed from military webpages including stories on pioneering female pilots such as the legendary WWII-era Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs.
Finally, as the internationally recognized Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 24, approaches, we learn from The Independent and other sources that the Pentagon has removed – among other — web pages about Holocaust remembrance…to comply with Trump DEI order.”
Pages removed include, according to CNN, an article about Holocaust survivor Kitty Saks, which remembers the Holocaust as “the state-sponsored, systemic persecution and annihilation of European Jewry”; an article about Holocaust Remembrance Week; and an article titled “A Cadet’s Perspective: Holocaust Days of Remembrance.”
CNN continues:
Articles about the Holocaust, September 11, cancer awareness, sexual assault and suicide prevention are among the tens of thousands either removed or flagged for removal from Pentagon websites as the department has scrambled to comply with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s order to scrub “diversity” content from all its platforms.
As mentioned above, many of the webpages have been restored after a huge public outcry, but the Trump administration continues to “staunchly [defend] its overall campaign to strip out content singling out the contributions by women and minority groups, which the Trump administration considers ‘DEI.’”.
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