Jackie Robinson Article Scrubbed From Department of Defense Website 

An article highlighting Jackie Robinson’s military service in World War II and his historic role as the first Black player in the modern history of Major League Baseball has been removed from the Department of Defense Website. The DOD has offered no explanation, but it follows President Donald Trump’s directive to federal agencies instructing them to end all DEI initiatives.

In a message to USA Today, a Defense spokesperson said “thank you for flagging,” and noted that they were looking into the matter. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is on the exact same page as Trump when it comes to DEI. “No exceptions, name-changes or delays,” he wrote in a January 26 post on X about Trump’s DEI orders. “Those who do not comply will no longer work here.”

Another Defense article celebrating

Maj. Gen. Charles Gavin Rogers – a highly decorated Black officer from the Vietnam War – was temporarily taken down recently and the phrase “deimedal” appeared in the URL, removing any doubt as to why it was scrubbed. The article has been restored with the original URL, but the Internet Archive captured the “deimedal” error page.

A third article commemorating Native American soldier Ira Hayes, one of the six Marines captured in a famous 1944 photo raising a flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima, was also removed. It’s been replaced by a 404 error, though there’s no reference to “DEI” on the page.

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Jackie Robinson is an odd figure for a Republican administration to target. He campaigned hard for Richard Nixon in 1960, and was an active part of Nelson Rockefeller’s efforts to win the Republican nomination in 1964. He eventually changed sides that year when the Republican nominated Barry Goldwater, an opponent of the Civil Rights act of 1964. But he didn’t let go of his conservative views, and was a vocal supporter of the Vietnam War.

It’s quite possible the DOD will eventually restore the Robinson page. At press time, however, it remains down.