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Yahoo
25-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
After Pentagon temporarily purges references to Native American Code Talkers' contributions to World War II, here's a look back at their impact
Mar. 24—As part of what an aide to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly called a "digital content refresh," many references on the Pentagon's website that honored Native Americans who used their ancestral language as an unbreakable code to help American forces in the Pacific Theater of World War II were purged last week. The outcry was instant, and the Pentagon restored the webpages days later. The webpages that had been taken down included the story of Pfc. Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian, who was one of six U.S. Marines memorialized in an iconic photograph as they lifted an American flag on the peak of Mount Suribachi in Iwo Jima. Taken on Feb. 23, 1945, the image became a symbol of American resilience and the inspiration for the Marine Corps War Memorial. Hayes was a Code Talker, a Native American who used his language to baffle the Japanese forces. Descriptions of that moment and the contributions of other Code Talkers, who mostly were Navajo and Comanche service men, had been erased as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on what it calls "diversity, equity and inclusion" efforts by the federal government. That history had a connection to the Spokane area when the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Council invited some Code Talkers as their featured guests for the 2002 Julyamsh Powwow. Among those who spoke in Post Falls that day was Teddy Draper Sr. Draper, who died in 2017 at the age of 93, made the radio call in 1945 announcing that Marines had hoisted the flag on Suribachi. Here's a Spokesman-Review story documenting that 2002 event with Draper. It has been lightly edited: Code Talkers' secret helped win war: A language that saved lives is worth saving, Navajos say As five U.S. Marines struggled to erect an American flag on Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi, Marine Teddy Draper Sr. laid down cover fire and grabbed his radio. Some 30 yards away from the scene that later became the memorial for all fallen Marines, Draper, a Navajo "Code Talker," made the call that the flag had been raised. Draper, and more than 400 other Navajos, used a code made up of words they spoke every day. The Japanese never broke it, even though they had solved every previous U.S. military code. "Our language is very important," Draper, 79, said on July 25, 2002. "I hope people understand that this language saved many lives. "It saved the liberties that we have." Draper and Bill Toledo, 78, were the featured guests at a preview of Indian art to kick off the 2002 Julyamsh Powwow. Coeur d'Alene Tribal Council member Cliff SiJohn introduced the Code Talkers — who belonged to a group that was the basis of the 2002 movie "Windtalkers," starring Nicholas Cage. "Park this in your mind that you were able to see these gentlemen," SiJohn said of Draper and Toledo. They "stood forward for all Indian nations and for (their) country." The contributions — which came at a time when Indians couldn't even vote — helped win the war. Their story started on a reservation near the Arizona-New Mexico border. Draper was in school on Dec. 7, 1941 — the day Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Early the next year, as the Navy began to engage Japanese forces, 29 Navajos were selected to create a military code using their unwritten and extremely complex language. The Navajos developed a code made up of fewer than 500 words to help platoons and companies communicate with battalion headquarters during intense battles. Because military terms are not a part of the Navajo language, the code developers used words such as "lo-tso," which means whale, for battleship; or "dah-he-tih-hi," hummingbird, for fighter plane. Draper and Toledo — two of only about 150 Code Talkers still alive in 2002 — fought in the island-hopping campaign that inched ever closer to Japan. They landed in the Solomon Islands, in Guam and in one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific campaign — Iwo Jima. Trained as Marines, it was the Code Talkers' job to string telephone lines between units. "We had really good preparation before we invaded Iwo Jima" in February 1945, Draper said. On the landing craft that hit the Iwo Jima beach, Draper was in the same group as Marine Pfc. Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian. Hayes died drunk in a ditch 10 years after the war. He suffered from shell shock, which is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder. His life and demise was later memorialized in the song "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" made popular by Johnny Cash. "After we landed, there was a lot of resistance. The bullets were buzzing over us, behind us, among us. We were pinned down," Draper said. "A lot of Marines got killed on the beach." During the lengthy battle, an artillery shell blew up, destroying Draper's nose and injuring his eyes. Draper's loss of hearing is also attributed to that blast, said his son, Ted Draper Jr. The elder Draper didn't discuss the other significant incident in the battle. "He saved a whole platoon and shot six Japanese," Ted Draper Jr. said. "He doesn't tell it a lot. It's not the Navajo way — telling about killing. It's not easy. "We try not to glorify war," he continued. "It's the people who do things, not one single warrior." Draper's injuries were treated on a hospital ship, and he was sent back into action. As of 2002, Draper had not received a Purple Heart or any other commendations, though that was rectified when he received one in 2004 some 59 years after he was wounded. In addition, Draper and 300 other Native American servicemen were later awarded Congressional Silver Stars following interest sparked by "Windtalkers." After Japan surrendered, Draper used the code as American forces occupied the Japanese mainland. As he was being discharged from the Marines in San Diego, military officials told him to keep the code a secret or they would throw him in jail. He, and every other Code Talker he knew, kept the secret. The younger Draper said he grew up not knowing about the contributions of his father or uncles. Finally, in 1968, the secret was made public. Ted Jr. had already graduated from high school. "It was kind of like a story that was unbelievable. This isn't right. Our language was used ... to win the South Pacific battle?" said Draper, who had five uncles who were Code Talkers. "Not a single one of them said a word of what they did in the war. My uncle Howard went to his death bed without breaking the code of being a Code Talker." For Code Talker Bill Toledo, the wait was even longer. When he was discharged in San Diego, a Marine colonel stopped Toledo as he walked past his office. "He said, 'You keep your mouth shut about the code you used, because it might be used again.' I kept my mouth shut until 1981," he said. One day that year, he came home to find his daughter and wife standing at the door. Earlier that day, his daughter dropped his service picture and discovered Toledo's discharge papers between the photograph and the frame. The papers identified him as a Code Talker. "They asked why I never told them I was a Code Talker. I said, 'Nobody asked.' They never knew they had one with them for all those years," he said. Toledo, who died in May 2016 at the age of 92, and the younger Draper had mixed reviews in 2002 of the movie about the Code Talkers' exploits. "There was a lot of action and some of the things we did. It was good entertainment," Toledo said. "But too much Hollywood." But even the best movie couldn't replicate the progress Code Talkers gave their people, Draper said. "Up until 1968, our kids were being severely punished for speaking Navajo at school," Ted Draper Jr. said. "Then they saw our language won a war. "When that happened, there was a tremendous renaissance of Navajo history, language and culture," Draper continued. "It then became required in our schools and still is to this day. "And that is their greatest contribution." Editor's note: This article was changed on March 24, 2025, to correct the age of Teddy Draper Sr. when he died in 2017. He was 93.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
After Pentagon temporarily purges references to Native American Code Talkers' contributions to World War II, here's a look back at
Mar. 22—As part of what an aide to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly called a "digital content refresh," many references on the Pentagon's website that honored Native Americans who used their ancestral language as an unbreakable code to help American forces in the Pacific Theater of World War II were purged last week. The outcry was instant, and the Pentagon restored the webpages days later. The webpages that had been taken down included the story of Pfc. Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian, who was one of six U.S. Marines memorialized in an iconic photograph as they lifted an American flag on the peak of Mount Suribachi in Iwo Jima. Taken on Feb. 23, 1945, the image became a symbol of American resilience and the inspiration for the Marine Corps War Memorial. Hayes was a Code Talker, a Native American who used his language to baffle the Japanese forces. Descriptions of that moment and the contributions of other Code Talkers, who mostly were Navajo and Comanche service men, had been erased as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on what it calls "diversity, equity and inclusion" efforts by the federal government. That history had a connection to the Spokane area when the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Council invited some Code Talkers as their featured guests for the 2002 Julyamsh Powwow. Among those who spoke in Post Falls that day was Teddy Draper Sr. Draper, who died in 2017 at the age of 96, made the radio call in 1945 announcing that Marines had hoisted the flag on Suribachi. Here's a Spokesman-Review story documenting that 2002 event with Draper. It has been lightly edited: Code Talkers' secret helped win war: A language that saved lives is worth saving, Navajos say As five U.S. Marines struggled to erect an American flag on Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi, Marine Teddy Draper Sr. laid down cover fire and grabbed his radio. Some 30 yards away from the scene that later became the memorial for all fallen Marines, Draper, a Navajo "Code Talker," made the call that the flag had been raised. Draper, and more than 400 other Navajos, used a code made up of words they spoke every day. The Japanese never broke it, even though they had solved every previous U.S. military code. "Our language is very important," Draper, 79, said on July 25, 2002. "I hope people understand that this language saved many lives. "It saved the liberties that we have." Draper and Bill Toledo, 78, were the featured guests at a preview of Indian art to kick off the 2002 Julyamsh Powwow. Coeur d'Alene Tribal Council member Cliff SiJohn introduced the Code Talkers — who belonged to a group that was the basis of the 2002 movie "Windtalkers," starring Nicholas Cage. "Park this in your mind that you were able to see these gentlemen," SiJohn said of Draper and Toledo. They "stood forward for all Indian nations and for (their) country." The contributions — which came at a time when Indians couldn't even vote — helped win the war. Their story started on a reservation near the Arizona-New Mexico border. Draper was in school on Dec. 7, 1941 — the day Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Early the next year, as the Navy began to engage Japanese forces, 29 Navajos were selected to create a military code using their unwritten and extremely complex language. The Navajos developed a code made up of fewer than 500 words to help platoons and companies communicate with battalion headquarters during intense battles. Because military terms are not a part of the Navajo language, the code developers used words such as "lo-tso," which means whale, for battleship; or "dah-he-tih-hi," hummingbird, for fighter plane. Draper and Toledo — two of only about 150 Code Talkers still alive in 2002 — fought in the island-hopping campaign that inched ever closer to Japan. They landed in the Solomon Islands, in Guam and in one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific campaign — Iwo Jima. Trained as Marines, it was the Code Talkers' job to string telephone lines between units. "We had really good preparation before we invaded Iwo Jima" in February 1945, Draper said. On the landing craft that hit the Iwo Jima beach, Draper was in the same group as Marine Pfc. Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian. Hayes died drunk in a ditch 10 years after the war. He suffered from shell shock, which is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder. His life and demise was later memorialized in the song "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" made popular by Johnny Cash. "After we landed, there was a lot of resistance. The bullets were buzzing over us, behind us, among us. We were pinned down," Draper said. "A lot of Marines got killed on the beach." During the lengthy battle, an artillery shell blew up, destroying Draper's nose and injuring his eyes. Draper's loss of hearing is also attributed to that blast, said his son, Ted Draper Jr. The elder Draper didn't discuss the other significant incident in the battle. "He saved a whole platoon and shot six Japanese," Ted Draper Jr. said. "He doesn't tell it a lot. It's not the Navajo way — telling about killing. It's not easy. "We try not to glorify war," he continued. "It's the people who do things, not one single warrior." Draper's injuries were treated on a hospital ship, and he was sent back into action. As of 2002, Draper had not received a Purple Heart or any other commendations, though that was rectified when he received one in 2004 some 59 years after he was wounded. In addition, Draper and 300 other Native American servicemen were later awarded Congressional Silver Stars following interest sparked by "Windtalkers." After Japan surrendered, Draper used the code as American forces occupied the Japanese mainland. As he was being discharged from the Marines in San Diego, military officials told him to keep the code a secret or they would throw him in jail. He, and every other Code Talker he knew, kept the secret. The younger Draper said he grew up not knowing about the contributions of his father or uncles. Finally, in 1968, the secret was made public. Ted Jr. had already graduated from high school. "It was kind of like a story that was unbelievable. This isn't right. Our language was used ... to win the South Pacific battle?" said Draper, who had five uncles who were Code Talkers. "Not a single one of them said a word of what they did in the war. My uncle Howard went to his death bed without breaking the code of being a Code Talker." For Code Talker Bill Toledo, the wait was even longer. When he was discharged in San Diego, a Marine colonel stopped Toledo as he walked past his office. "He said, 'You keep your mouth shut about the code you used, because it might be used again.' I kept my mouth shut until 1981," he said. One day that year, he came home to find his daughter and wife standing at the door. Earlier that day, his daughter dropped his service picture and discovered Toledo's discharge papers between the photograph and the frame. The papers identified him as a Code Talker. "They asked why I never told them I was a Code Talker. I said, 'Nobody asked.' They never knew they had one with them for all those years," he said. Toledo, who died in May 2016 at the age of 92, and the younger Draper had mixed reviews in 2002 of the movie about the Code Talkers' exploits. "There was a lot of action and some of the things we did. It was good entertainment," Toledo said. "But too much Hollywood." But even the best movie couldn't replicate the progress Code Talkers gave their people, Draper said. "Up until 1968, our kids were being severely punished for speaking Navajo at school," Ted Draper Jr. said. "Then they saw our language won a war. "When that happened, there was a tremendous renaissance of Navajo history, language and culture," Draper continued. "It then became required in our schools and still is to this day. "And that is their greatest contribution."
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stop the insanity. Don't let sports fat cats take school money
Where is my friend and legislative representative, Jeff Weninger, the fiscal conservative? Why is he, of all elected officials, the prime sponsor of legislation to take away tax dollars from cities, counties, the state and schools? Yes, our fiscally conservative Jeff Weninger wants to give tax revenues to a sports franchise owned by billionaires for improving and maintaining a Major League Baseball stadium. I love baseball, I love the Arizona Diamondbacks. I was there at the beginning helping, in my small way, to bring Major League Baseball to the Valley. But, as a former city administrator and school board member, I love our basic necessities much more than to take needed monies from them. Yet, it is our very own, fiscally conservative representative, Jeff Weninger, leading the way. Where are our city leaders and school board members? Where are the parents whose children will be impacted. The Diamondbacks are a vital business for downtown Phoenix. But their value has increased to almost $1.5 billion dollars. Who will profit when that franchise is sold.? Not the taxpayers. It's time to stop this insanity Ron Pies, Chandler Regarding Phil Boas' column 'Arizona lost one of its best senators because lawmaker pay stinks': Sure, I'd support a living wage for lawmakers, subject to a few conditions: 1) Streamline the legislative process. 2) Prohibit and punish actual and apparent conflicts of interest, with ironclad bans on sponsoring, voting or participating in any way on any matter that affects a legislator's private business interests. 3) Mandate that the auditor general annually audit the state's financial performance and compliance. 4) Publish the financial and business interests and affiliations of every legislator. 5) Repeal legislative immunity. 6) Complete mandatory classes on civics. 7) Pass the same test given to those seeking U.S. citizenship. Right? Warren Kotzmann, Gilbert The Department of Defense has weakened itself and created distrust by scrubbing its websites of DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) materials, that include information about the Navajo Code Talkers. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has gone too far. Deleting historical facts and eliminating recorded history are actions we see from communist and tyrannical countries. We know the Code Talkers saved thousands of lives and gave the United States an advantage with their selfless actions in WW II. They dealt with prejudice serving in the US military and were begrudged the hero's return they deserved. It is disgusting that DOD is scrubbing its website of the Code Talkers and all the other facts that mention ethnicity or gender under the shady guise of correcting DEI. We, the People, will correct this elimination of history after you are removed from office. In the meantime, I ask all publishing entities to reprint and distribute everything you have on the Code Talkers, Buffalo Soldiers, Woman's Service Air Force pilots and every other group wiped off DOD public platforms so We the People can know who We are. Victoria Caruso Drummond, Phoenix Transgender people are part of our community. Like other Arizonans, they deserve to be healthy and supported. HB 2062 ("sex-based terms") discriminates against our transgender and other gender-diverse neighbors and is harmful to public health. Lawmakers attempting to define "only two genders" will cite historic precedent. However, just as we learned centuries ago that the earth is not flat, we now understand scientifically that gender expression is more nuanced that previously understood. To quote Maya Angelou, '...when you know better, do better.' Family physicians like me see that transgender people have increased risk of suicide, higher rates of mental health diagnoses, and more traumatic life experiences than the general population. Protective factors include family and peer support, legal recognition, and anti-harassment laws. I urge lawmakers to oppose HB 2062 and Governor Hobbs to veto it if necessary. Members of the community need to speak out in support of transgender Arizonans. Full recognition of transgender and gender non-conforming people improves public health and creates a more just society. Steven Brown, M.D., Scottsdale This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Don't let sports fat cats take school money | Letters
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pentagon restores Navajo Code Talkers histories after outcry
Terry TangAssociated Press PHOENIX — The Pentagon restored some webpages highlighting the crucial wartime contributions of Navajo Code Talkers and other Native American veterans on Wednesday, days after tribes condemned the action. The initial removal was part of a sweep of any military content that promoted diversity, equity and inclusion, or commonly referred to as DEI. Following President Donald Trump's broader executive order ending the federal government's DEI programs, the Defense Department deleted thousands of pages honoring contributions by women and minority groups. Department officials say the Navajo Code Talker material was erroneously erased. 'In the rare cases that content is removed — either deliberately or by mistake — that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct the components and they correct the content so it recognizes our heroes for their dedicated service alongside their fellow Americans, period,' Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot said in a statement. Several webpages on the Code Talkers landed on a '404 - Page not found' message Tuesday. Some were back up Wednesday — although any that also mention Native American Heritage Month remain down. Thousands of other pages deleted in the DEI purge are still offline. White House officials informed the Navajo Nation that an artificial intelligence-powered automated review process looking for content with DEI initiatives led to the elimination of anything mentioning 'Navajo," according to a statement from Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren. Nygren, who sent a letter to the Defense Department requesting clarity on the issue, said he's pleased by the resolution. 'I want to assure the Navajo people that we remain in close communication with federal officials to ensure the legacy of our cherished Navajo Code Talkers is never erased from American and Navajo history,' Nygren said. He also pointed out the 574 federally recognized tribes across the U.S. are sovereign nations and not defined by DEI classifications, a stance broadly supported by other Native American leaders who also sent letters to the Trump administration. The U.S. Marine Corps initially recruited 29 Navajo men to develop a code based on the unwritten Navajo language in World War II. Using Navajo words for red soil, war chief, clan, braided hair, beads, ant and hummingbird, for example, they came up with a glossary of more than 200 terms, later expanded, and an alphabet. To convey the word 'send,' Code Talkers would say the Navajo words for 'sheep, eyes, nose and deer.' Hundreds of Navajos followed in their footsteps, sending thousands of messages without error on Japanese troop movements, battlefield tactics and other communications crucial to the war's ultimate outcome. The code stumped Japanese military cryptologists. The Code Talkers participated in all assaults the Marines led in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945 and are credited with helping the U.S. win the war. Hundreds of Native Americans from more than 20 tribes also served as code talkers during World War I and World War II, according to the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. Among them were Choctaw, Cherokee, Osage, Chippewa and Hopi speakers. Among those alarmed to hear of the missing Navajo Code Talker webpages was Peter MacDonald, 96. He and Thomas H. Begay are the only two Navajo Code Talkers still living today. 'That code became a very valuable weapon and not only saved hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but it also helped win the war in the Pacific,' MacDonald said by phone from his home in Tuba City in the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation. "And it has absolutely nothing to do with DEI." A Republican who voted for Trump, MacDonald said he thinks the current administration needs to better walk the line between getting rid of DEI and ignoring history. 'That's why I'm very concerned that communication from the Pentagon down to the various military units should be taught or learn that this information is history, and you don't want to hide history,' MacDonald said. The Defense Department has had to issue reassurances that it is not omitting historic achievements by servicemen and women of color. Besides the Code Talkers, the agency also on Wednesday restored a webpage describing baseball and civil rights icon Jackie Robinson's military service after it was missing earlier in the day. Last week, pages honoring a Black Medal of Honor winner and Japanese American service members were also restored. 'Everyone at the Defense Department loves Jackie Robinson, as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee airmen, the Marines at Iwo Jima and so many others — we salute them for their strong and in many cases heroic service to our country, full stop,' Ullyot said. 'We do not view or highlight them through the prism of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity or sex.' Michael Smith, whose father, Samuel 'Jesse' Smith Sr., was a Navajo Code Talker, questioned why these pages were removed at all. 'I don't know how taking Navajo Code Talkers off the Department of Defense website is saving the United States any money because that's not consistent with the president's order,' said Smith, who helps organize annual celebrations of the Code Talkers. Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona also expressed disappointment, claiming there was missing content relating to all Native American veterans, including Ira Hayes. Hayes was an enrolled member of the tribe and one of six Marines featured in an iconic 1945 Associated Press photograph of U.S. forces raising an American flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima. As of March 20, Hayes' history page had yet to be restored. Even with some being reposted, he remains worried web content removal is 'the tip of the iceberg.' 'The way it looks in the (executive) order, this language is skewed and made to sound like the diversity programs are the ones that are unethical," Smith said.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers Demand Trump Administration Restore Removed Webpages Celebrating Troops
A group of Senate Democrats will be sending a letter Thursday demanding that President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reverse recent policies "that seek to erase records of the historic accomplishments of our troops" amid the administration's removal of online material about women, minority and LGBTQ+ service members and veterans. The four lawmakers signed onto the letter are Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois; Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut; and Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, both of Arizona -- all veterans who serve on the Senate Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs committees. They cited content about record-breaking female aviators, World War II Navajo Code Talkers, medal recipients in segregated combat units, and "numerous other wartime sacrifices by soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen" as being removed during the purge, according to the letter obtained by Late last month, Hegseth ordered the services to scrub articles, photos and videos that promote "diversity, equity and inclusion," or DEI, within a week, which has resulted in the removal of the wide variety of content, as well as a story about baseball legend Jackie Robinson's Army service that was then restored Wednesday following public backlash. Read Next: Bill to Provide Full Retirement, Disability Pay to Combat-Injured Veterans Is Reintroduced by Lawmakers The senators found it "especially unacceptable" that Arlington National Cemetery scrubbed information about Black, Hispanic and female troops from its "Notable Graves" website, according to the letter. As of Wednesday, it appeared that biographies previously removed from the cemetery's site were restored, a common trend amid the purge after agencies and military components rushed to comply with the order and were met with disapproval from lawmakers, veterans groups and the public. The result has been a confusing and inconsistent landscape of inactive webpages that are sometimes restored, while others remain inaccessible. "We object to the department removing from the public record stories that feature extraordinary achievements of warriors and veterans," the letter states. "We urge you to promptly reverse these indiscriminate, sweeping actions seeking to erase the legacy of our service members." previously reported that material related to the Code Talkers; Medal of Honor recipients and women who served during the Civil War, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War were removed from various service or Pentagon websites in the last month. Some material, such as a Pentagon story about Army Maj. Gen. Charles Calvin Rogers, a Medal of Honor recipient, had been restored as of Wednesday, but others related to women or Native Americans posted during cultural awareness months were still removed. The letters "DEI" were added to some of the dead URLs. The Associated Press reported Thursday that some webpages for the Code Talkers and other Native American veterans were restored, though it noted "any that also mention Native American Heritage Month remain down" and thousands of other pages about diverse groups of service members and veterans are still inactive. On Wednesday, Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot, referencing Robinson, the Code Talkers, Tuskegee Airmen and Marines at Iwo Jima, issued a statement saying that, "in the rare cases that content is removed -- either deliberately or by mistake -- that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct the components and they correct the content so it recognizes our heroes for their dedicated service alongside their fellow Americans, period." "We do not view or highlight them through the prism of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, or sex," he added. "We do so only by recognizing their patriotism and dedication to the warfighting mission like ever [sic] other American who has worn the uniform." The removal of such sites following Pentagon guidance last month to embark on a "digital content refresh," according to a memo Hegseth signed, "resulted in the erasure of important American stories of heroism of current and past service members," the lawmakers said. They argued that "removing these records exacerbates an already concerning recruiting crisis, undermines morale across the Joint Force, and betrays our nation's commitment to honoring the service of veterans." They added that "these shortsighted actions" would discourage eligible Americans from signing up for the military because it sends "a message that they will not be welcomed in the armed forces." They also alleged that the purge creates division in the ranks, and adversaries would look to capitalize on that discord. "Finally, your administration claims to support warriors and Veterans, but these needless actions undermine a basic commitment to our heroes in uniform – that their sacrifices in service of Americans will be appropriately honored and remembered," the letter said. "Public celebration of those military officers and enlisted service members who made extraordinary contributions to the military and the American people is the least we owe them and their family, friends and communities." On Jan. 29, Trump issued an executive order directing the military to get rid of programs, offices and initiatives related to what the administration refers to as DEI. Over the following month, services began removing websites highlighting those programs or historical references to diverse groups, in some cases having to add them back later. "We are encouraged by steps the department has taken to reinstate some of these webpages, including the page highlighting Charles C. Rogers, the Medal of Honor recipient, and Air Force training websites related to the Tuskegee Airmen," the letter said, citing an early example of one of the services reversing course on removals. "However, we remain concerned that these efforts to correct the record are ad hoc, reactive and insufficient." Trump's executive order was followed by a policy from Hegseth in January that banned government funds and recognition for cultural awareness months such as Black History Month and Women's History Month, declaring that "identity months [are] dead at [the] DoD." The lawmakers demanded that Trump and Hegseth respond to their letter by April 1 with information about specific guidance the services have received on archiving material as they apply to the Federal Records Act, a law that requires the government to maintain documents; how many man-hours and the cost required to purge the material; and when the material would be restored. When asked whether Duckworth expects the administration to respond by that date and, should it not, what other mechanisms the lawmakers have to reverse the policies outlined in their letter, a spokesperson for the senator said she "has already pledged to be a blanket 'no' vote on all cabinet-level nominees in protest of the Trump administration's lawlessness and she will continue to consider other ways she can apply pressure on the administration until they restore these website pages that should have never been taken down in the first place." Related: Defense Department Webpage on Jackie Robinson Goes Down, Then Returns amid Diversity Purge
