Web pages about heroic WWII Native American code talkers become latest victims of anti-DEI purge

US president Donald Trump’s desire to eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives have prompted the military to begin removing web pages dedicated to WWII Navajo code talkers.

The Independent reports that at least 10 pages dedicated to the ingenious Navajo units, who used their unwritten language to transmit messages that could not be decoded by the enemy, have been removed.

Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot told Axios– who first reported on the changes: “As [defence] secretary [Pete] Hegseth has said, DEI is dead at the defence department. 

“We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms.”

‘Their patriotism and courage earned them the gratitude of all Americans’

The heroic units, which used a language “completely unintelligible to anyone except another Navajo”, helped during key battles in the Pacific theatre of the war against the Japanese between 1942 and 1945. By the end of the conflict, 400 of them are believed to have served on the front line, with 13 killed in action.

Their role was central to John Woo’s 2002 film, Windtalkers, which starred Nicolas Cage, Mark Ruffalo and Christian Slater.

A page that still exists reads: “The unique achievements of the Navajo code talkers constitute a proud chapter in the history of the United States Marine Corps. Their patriotism, resourcefulness and courage have earned them the gratitude of all Americans.” 

During his first term, Trump honoured the code talkers by hosting an event at the White House, The Guardian reported. He told the veterans: “You are really incredible people, and from the heart, from the absolute heart, we appreciate what you’ve done, how you’ve done it, the bravery you displayed and the love you have for your country.” 

The deletion of the Navajo code talkers pages follows news that a web page about a Black war hero, Charles C. Rogers, who was awarded the Medal Of Honor, has been removed from a US Department of Defense website, amid the ongoing purge of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

The page honouring major general Charles Calvin Rogers, who served during the Vietnam War, was redirected to a 404 error message. The URL was also changed, with the word “medal” changed to “DEI medal”.

It was subsequently restored, with a Department of Defense spokesperson stating:  “The Department has restored the Medal of Honor story about Army Maj. Gen. Charles Calvin Rogers at https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2824721/medal-of-honor-monday-army-maj-gen-charles-calvin-rogers/. The story was removed during auto removal process.”

Images of famed World War II aircraft Enola Gay were also flagged for deletion.

Trump has referred to DEI as “useless”, and earlier this month a Pentagon memorandum revealed that waivers for trans military service personnel were conditional on them denying their identities.

A previous memo, filed in court, detailed how the military’s top brass would identify transgender service men and women within 30 days, and within 30 days of that, start to “separate” them from the armed forces.

Several trans members of the army, navy and air force have voiced their opposition to the proposals, emphasising that their gender and ability to serve are not mutually exclusive.

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