Trump and Hegseth Are Dishonoring Black and Latino Veterans’ Service

Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis Sr. was the first Black general in the U.S. Army, promoted in 1940. His son, General Benjamin O. Davis Jr., became the first Black general in the U.S. Air Force in 1954. Their historic achievements broke racial barriers and paved the way for greater inclusion of African Americans in the U.S. military.

Attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Davis Barracks in the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, alongside the remaining Tuskegee Airmen, was one of the greatest honors of my life. I got the opportunity to meet the family of General Davis Jr., including his nephew, Doug Melville, author of Invisible Generals: Rediscovering Family Legacy, and a Quest to Honor America’s First Black Generals.

This is why I took it personally, as should all Americans, when references to their graves were purged from the Arlington Cemetery website — based on orders from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News personality who attained the rank of a mid-level Army officer.

The deletion of a webpage honoring the graves of Davis Jr. and several other Tuskegee Airmen came two months after the Air Force removed and then restored a basic training class featuring videos of the Tuskegee Airmen. “This will not stand,” Hegseth said at the time. 

Under Hegseth’s anti-diversity directive, the military is actively erasing its acknowledgements of countless minority veterans and references to diversity, justice, and respect — the very values these heroes fought for. 

The removal of images and stories of minority service members, including historic milestones like the first female Ranger School graduate, signals an attempt to whitewash military history and undermine recruitment efforts among women and people of color. This is more than an attack on political correctness — it’s an assault on truth, service, and the fundamental ideals of military honor.

Hegseth issued a memo last month demanding that public affairs officers remove all online content that promotes “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” which it defines as “programs, concepts, or materials about critical race theory, gender ideology, and preferential treatment or quotas base”

Editor’s picks

As public affairs officers across the Department of Defense struggle to interpret what “DEI” even means under the new directive, the safest bet appears to be the wholesale deletion of any content that acknowledges Black, Brown, and women service members.

On the Arlington Cemetery website’s page on notable graves, references to African American history, Hispanic American history, and women’s history were all deleted. 

The Pentagon even removed an article honoring Jackie Robinson’s service in World War II and his role as the first Black Major League Baseball player in the modern era, before reposting it Wednesday.

This pattern of racial cleansing from the Department

of Defense’s historical record is not just disturbing — it is dangerous. It will lead to morale and recruitment problems, compounding the broader crisis of an all-out demagogic assault on the contributions of historic military figures.

The road to fascism is often paved with vague notions of “fairness” that elevate the majority race, religion, or ethnic group while casting the “other” as undeserving of recognition or honor, erasing them from historical narratives. This serves two insidious purposes: first, to reinforce fascist propaganda that certain races or classes are unworthy of recognition or accolades; second, to rewrite history itself, ensuring that future generations never accept these marginalized groups as true members of the nation they helped build and defend.

Related Content

Eventually, these tactics become self-fulfilling prophecies. At this rate, the more Trump and Hegseth amplify this rhetoric, the fewer contributions and less participation we will see from historically underrepresented groups in our military — and, consequently, in federal and public service.

Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of over 400,000 American service members, is supposed to be a sanctuary of honor and remembrance and respect — something Hegseth and Trump seem to care little for. Let’s be clear: Black and Latino service members have fought in every American war, from the Buffalo Soldiers and Tuskegee Airmen to the Borinqueneers and the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Many were denied full recognition in their time — with some only receiving the Medal of Honor decades after their service. Now, even their stories are being scrubbed from public view. This should make every American sick to their stomach. 

Trump, a man who dodged the draft with phony bone spurs, and Hegseth, who has spent his career exploiting veterans for personal and political gain, have done more to dishonor military service than any foreign adversary’s propaganda ever could. Hegseth, who actually wore the uniform, should know better — but instead, he chooses to enable Trump’s most disgraceful instincts when it comes to our nation’s heroes.

Erasing the contributions of Black, Latino, and women veterans is not just an attack on history — it’s an assault on the very foundation of military service. Neither Hegseth nor Trump could ever match the sacrifice, courage, and honor displayed by these veterans. I am deeply alarmed by what is happening at the Department of Defense and across our federal government. Those who have enabled this suppression should be ashamed.

Trending Stories

Our military and civilian leaders at the Pentagon must take a stronger stand. They should follow the example of General Charles Q. Brown Jr., the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff whom Hegseth fired, and others who refused to carry out Hegseth and Trump’s agenda. History will judge those who resisted and were removed more kindly than those who remained complicit.

Michael Embrich is a veteran, former member of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs’ Advisory Committee on the Readjustment of Veterans, and a former congressional staffer.