The Pentagon’s DEI Purge Erased Jackie Robinson, the Enola Gay, and the Navajo Code Talkers. What the Hell?
Imagine waking up one day and finding out that the Department of Defense has decided that Jackie Robinson—yes, that Jackie Robinson—and the Navajo Code Talkers are too “divisive” to feature on their website. Sounds ridiculous, right? Well, that’s exactly what’s happening thanks to Trump’s executive order gutting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the federal government.
In a sweeping purge of military history, the Pentagon has removed content about Jackie Robinson’s World War II service and the Navajo Code Talkers—who, let’s not forget, literally created an unbreakable code that helped the U.S. defeat Japan in the Pacific. Oh, and just for good measure, they also flagged images of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb, because… why not?
If you’re thinking, “Wait, what does any of this have to do with DEI?” you’re not alone. This isn’t some conspiracy. We’re talking about actual American history, stripped away because anything that acknowledges the contributions of marginalized groups is now considered problematic.
Jackie Robinson: Too Controversial for the DoD?
Jackie Robinson wasn’t just a baseball legend—he was a veteran. Before breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier, Robinson was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army who refused to give up his seat on a segregated military bus a decade before Rosa Parks. For that, he was court-martialed (and thankfully acquitted). The DoD had an article about this on their website—until suddenly, it disappeared.
The backlash was swift, and after public outcry, the Pentagon restored the page. But the fact that it was removed in the first place underscores white male fragility.
The Navajo Code Talkers: Scrubbed from History
The Navajo Code Talkers are war heroes. They used their language to create an unbreakable code that helped secure victory in World War II. The Pentagon’s website used to feature content honoring them. Not anymore. The page was taken down as part of this absurd DEI purge, as if acknowledging their contributions is somehow offensive.
Let’s be clear: This isn’t just about scrubbing “woke” content. This is about erasing the history of people who were instrumental in U.S. military victories. And for what? So we can pretend the only people who mattered in war history were white men?
The Enola Gay and 26,000 Flagged Images
And then there’s the Enola Gay. The plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was apparently flagged for potential removal along with more than 26,000 other images across military branches. Is it because it’s controversial? Or because someone in the DEI purge operation is just blindly deleting anything remotely connected to words such as “gay” and “woman” and “black?” White. Male. Fragility.
A Manufactured Crisis
Look, this whole situation is about scoring cheap political points. The right has decided that “DEI” is a dirty word, and now even basic history is being thrown out under the guise of fighting “wokeness.” But when you start deleting pages about Jackie Robinson, The Tuskegee Airmen, and the Navajo Code Talkers, you’re not just attacking DEI—you’re attacking reality.
History isn’t supposed to be comfortable. It’s supposed to be true. And the truth is that America’s military victories have always been shaped by people of all backgrounds. To erase them is to rewrite history in a way that serves no one—except those who want to pretend diversity never played a role in this country’s success.
This isn’t about DEI. It’s about denying history. And we should all be furious.
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#MLB: DO NOT INVITE TRUMP TO THROW OUT THE FIRST PITCH AT OPENING DAY! Invite #RachelRobinson (who’s 102!), or one of her children, to throw out the first pitch.