Stanton and Ansari demand return of Arizona Native heroes to Pentagon website

Yahoo

25-03-2025

Ira Hayes, alongside five other Marines, raised the U.S. flag on the island of Iwo Jima at the summit of Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945. Photo by Joe Rosenthal | Associated Press/public domain
Content about two prominent Arizona Native American veterans that was removed from the U.S. Department of Defense's website during a purge of information that didn't focus on the accomplishments of white men remains missing.
The purge came in response to President Donald Trump's executive order banning diversity, equity, and inclusion in the federal government.
Stories and details about U.S. Marine Ira Hayes, who is Pima/Akimel O'odham from the Gila River Indian Community, alongside U.S. Army Specialist Lori Ann Piestewa, who is Hopi, remains absent from the Defense Department's website.
As of Tuesday, a keyword search for Ira Hayes still brings up zero results, and only one article appears for Lori Ann Piestewa.
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U.S. Reps. Greg Stanton and Yassamin Ansari sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth, urging the reinstatement of content featuring Hayes and Piestewa.
'Efforts by the DOD to recognize any veteran's selfless service to our nation have nothing to do with any type of DEI Initiative,' the Phoenix Democrats wrote.
Stanton and Ansari wrote in the letter that, due to the sovereign status of tribal nations and their members, Indigenous people are correctly viewed as political entities, not racial groups. They cited U.S. Supreme Court precedent and long-standing legal doctrine.
'Other mistakenly removed references to Native American veterans and service members have been restored, but information on these two pivotal figures is still missing,' they wrote.
The DOD also deleted websites about the Navajo Code Talkers who were instrumental to America's victory in the Pacific Theater in World War II.
Hayes, alongside five other Marines, raised the U.S. flag on the island of Iwo Jima at the summit of Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945. He was part of the 5th Marine Division and fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima until the island was secured on March 26, 1945.
The photograph of the flag raising during the Battle of Iwo Jima is one of the most iconic images of World War II, taken months into the battle by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal.
'The history of Ira Hayes and his bravery during this pivotal battle and at the flag raising is a point of pride and inspiration for the Gila River Indian Community—as it should be for all citizens of the United States,' Stanton and Ansari wrote.
Piestewa served with the 507th Maintenance Company during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In March 2003, at 23 years old, she became the first service woman killed in action in Iraq and the first Native American woman to die in foreign combat in the service of the United States.
Stanton and Ansari note in their letter how former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano renamed a mountain in the Phoenix area and State Route 51 in Piestewa's honor a month after she died in combat. They also highlighted how, as the mayor of Phoenix, Stanton advocated for renaming several streets in the city to honor her sacrifice.
'We must never forget the sacrifices made by Native American veterans and service members throughout our nation's history,' they stated.
Indigenous people across the United States serve in the armed forces at five times the national average, according to the National Indian Council on Aging, and have served with distinction in every major conflict for over 200 years.
'It is with this history in mind, with our great pride in these incredible Arizonans, that we request the immediate and full reinstatement of all information pertaining to Pfc. Ira Hayes and Army Specialist Lori Piestewa to the DOD website,' the letter states.
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