5 legendary veterans whose bios were deleted from military websites over DEI

The web pages for dozens of historical figures,’ from Civil Rights activist Medgar Evers to the majority Black women army unit, the "Six Triple Eight‚" have been removed from the government’s military websites, igniting outrage and concern about attempts to erase history.

“Medgar Evers - a WWII veteran and civil rights hero — has been erased from Arlington National Cemetery’s website after Trump’s order to cut DEI programs, “Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump posted on X. “From Medgar to Jackie Robinson and the countless other Black patriots, who else’s legacy will this administration have erased?”

President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning DEI in federal hiring, programs and contracts during his first week in office. In response, thousands of news and feature articles, photos and videos deemed to promote DEI were removed, according to a statement from the Department of Defense.

Last week, the web pages for baseball legend and World War II army veteran Jackie Robinson and the Navajo Code Talkers’ were removed from the DOD’s website, NPR reported.

The DOD later restored them after a public outcry, NPR reported.

Still, NBC News reported that thousands of other web pages and images featuring veterans of color and women have been deleted and/or moved from military websites, with some later restored.

At Arlington National Cemetery, the historic final resting place of approximately 400,000 veterans and their dependents, many web pages featuring information about women and people of color who served in the military were also removed.

In a statement posted on March 19, Arlington Cemetery officials said that no service members have been permanently removed from the Notable Graves section of its website but moved to other categories.

But some were unmoved by the statement, saying the removal of web pages about the military accomplishments of Black and brown men and women who served their country is an attempt to distort history.

“It is both perplexing and disheartening to witness initiatives that, under the guise of DEI, obscure the very narratives that shape our collective history,” DEI expert Nika White told NBC News. “Eliminating references to these figures not only undermines foundational principles of DEI but stands as a glaring contradiction to the pursuit of truth.”

It’s a belief Raul Vargas, founder of the American Latino Veterans Association, shares.

“While I understand that the administration has decided to shy away from DEI programs and initiatives, we cannot shy away from our nation’s military history,” he told the Washington Post. “It is vital that all Americans learn that Hispanics and Latinos have been instrumental in the founding, the building, the shaping, and the defending of this nation for over 500 years.”

Here’s a list of historical figures whose web pages on the nation’s military websites had been removed.

1. Civil rights activist Medgar Evers enlisted in the Army Reserve Corps in 1943 during World War II. After returning home from war, Evers became a prominent civil rights activist and the NAACP’s first field secretary for his home state of Mississippi. A webpage section that featured information about Evers’ military service was removed from the Arlington National Cemetery’s website, Mississippi Today reported.
2. World War II veteran Hector Santa Anna was a Mexican American who served in the U.S. Air Force as a B-17 bomber pilot. Anna earned the rank of lieutenant colonel and was one of a few Latino pilots during World War II, the Los Angeles Times reported. Anna’s web page, which included a short biography about his military service, was removed from the Arlington National Cemetery’s website, the Washington Post reported.
3. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was an all-female U.S. Women’s Army Corps (WAC) unit comprised of mostly Black women. Also known as the “Six Triple Eight,” the unit was charged with sorting, logging and delivering a massive backlog of mail to military members. They were the first and only WAC unit to be deployed to Europe during World War II, according to 6888th’s website. NPR reported that the unit’s story was also removed from the Arlington National Cemetery website.
4. Gen. Colin L. Powell, the youngest and first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was the first Black American to serve as Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005 during former President George W. Bush’s administration. A web page that included a short biography about Powell’s military service was removed from Arlington National Cemetery’s website, the Washington Post reported. The page was restored on Wednesday, according to the cemetery’s website.
5. World War II Navy veteran Doris Miller was a mess attendant who received the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest military award for valor, after his heroic actions aboard the USS West Virginia (BB 48) battleship during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, NBC News reported. Miller’s military service was deleted from the U.S. Navy’s web pages. One Naval History and Heritage Command page about him was restored but now includes a red banner at the top that states, “content on this website revised or removed to align with the president’s executive orders and DOD priorities,” NBC News reported.

Mosaic staff writer Vashti Harris can be reached at vharris@njadvancemedia.com.

Welcome to Mosaic. Follow us on Instagram at @MosaicNJcom, on Facebook at MosaicNJcom, on Twitter (X) at @MosaicNJcom and on YouTube at @MosaicNJcom.