Arlington National Cemetery has removed links to pages featuring notable Black, Hispanic, and female veterans from its website. This decision is part of a larger effort by the Department of Defense (DOD) to scrub its digital platforms of DEI-related materials, following directives from Pentagon leaders and executive orders by President Donald Trump.
The DoD’s initiative to remove DEI content began with a memo issued by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, requiring all Defense Department components to take down news articles, photos, and videos promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion by March 5.
This directive is part of a “digital content refresh” aimed at aligning with President Trump’s executive orders, which have targeted DEI programs across the federal government.
The cemetery’s website previously included detailed biographies and histories of distinguished veterans such as General Colin L. Powell, the Tuskegee Airmen, and members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black, all-female unit that served in World War II.
Dozens of academic lesson plans and educational modules have been taken down. These included self-guided walking tours to Medal of Honor recipients’ graves and materials on military history topics such as Women’s History and African-American History. Pages on Freedman’s Village and Section 27, significant in the cemetery’s post-Civil War history, have been delinked from the main website.
Historian Kevin Levin broke the story on Substack. He said, “Like it or not, the complete history of Arlington National Cemetery and that of the military is a story of “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusiveness.” It is embedded in the very landscape of Arlington.”
We have a responsibility to the men and women buried at Arlington and elsewhere, who paid the ultimate sacrifice, to honor them by facing and acknowledging the history that they helped to shape in all of its complexity and regardless of how it makes us feel.”
As an army brat & officers wife, I was taught everyone was “green”
As a retired army vet we must honor history and taking down the links is dishonoring our history. We might all “wear green” but we all did not have the same military history. We must honor those individuals who paved the road for so many of us, their sacrifices went above and beyond and we must never forget their true selfless service. This saddens me but it also angers me. “Those Who Cannot Remember The Past Are Condemned to Repeat it”
This is a sad day in history that ALL of this is happening to our country. We must NEVER FORGET ANYONE/EVERYONE WHO SERVED AND FOUGHT FOR OUR FREEDOMS over the years, decades, centuries, wars…. We must never forget. This will go down in history as another one of the most appalling/disgusting and unforgivable acts happening during this time.
I have to believe that these changes are for making them better, not removing them but revamping them. Could this have been done differently , absolutely! But I imagine in the near future the history’s, stories, accomplishments will be returned and better in telling about their lives.
There is also the concept of malicious compliance. Where the employees at these agencies when getting an order to “to take down news articles, photos, and videos promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion” can be perceived differently for each person involved. This is most likely a step to determine who the mentally ill people are in the government who do not understand the reason behind the orders.
Its not about a persons color of skin or diversity of ethnic origin, but that of forcing compliance of hiring and training practices of gender and race baiting hysteria. If you can navigate a complex task of refreshing digital content within the orders, I suspect you will do just fine.
I agree with you, Kathryn. If we ever get someone elected to the office the president that isn’t Trump or one of his supporters, the restoration will likely happen!