By: Donald V. Watkins
Copyrighted and Published on March 19, 2025
An Editorial Opinion
This year, America re-entered the old paradigm where the lives and history of Blacks, women, and Native Americans were devalued, along with their invaluable contributions to American society. This is U.S. policy, once again.
Last week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the least qualified presidential appointee to hold this position in the modern era, scrubbed the valiant contributions of a trailblazing female pilot and two military icons of color from the Pentagon's website. These heroes included Brigadier General Charles Rogers, a Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient, and Major General Jeannie Marie Leavitt, a Military Hall of Honor inductee.
The Pentagon also deleted the iconic photo of Marines hoisting an American flag on Iwo Jima in 1945 solely because one of the Marines in the photo was Pfc. Ira Hayes, a Native American from the Pima Tribe.
Additionally, the Pentagon ordered Arlington Cemetery's website to drop links for deceased Blacks, women, and Hispanic military heroes.
In January, the Air Force's "Breaking Barriers" recruitment video was scrubbed from the Pentagon's websiite solely because it featured the famed Tuskegee Airman, who were World War II aviation heroes and America's first Top Gun winners in 1949.
The Pentagon's Purge of Non-White Male Military Heroes Has Been Met with Public Outrage
The purge of Blacks, women, and Native American military heroes was ordered by President Donald Trump, whom many Americans view as a Vietnam War draft dodger. When Trump had his chance to show wartime valor, his father bought Trump's way out of military service via a private doctor's medical examination and bone spur medical excuse.
These deliberate Pentagon erasures of this military history, along with others of a similar nature, have been met with public outrage. President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are literally attempting to whitewash American military history. They want to make it all-white, again.
Due to the public outrage, the "Breaking Barriers" video has been restored. Gen. Rogers' website link has been reactivated, albeit with disparaging press statement by Hegseth, who never rose above the rank of major.
Epilogue
America has been here before -- many times. Throughout our nation's existence, there have been those in power who have sought to reimage, erase, and/or sanitize various chapters of American history to perpetuate a false narrative that portrayed White males soldiers in the most favorable light posssible.
What is more, the Declaration of Independence designates Native Americans as “merciless Indian savages.” Additionally, between 1770 and1870, the U.S. government broke every treaty executed with 374 Native American Tribes. Yet, it was the brilliance of Navajo Code Talkers that broke the Japanese military codes. This seminal event helped America win World War II in the Pacific theater.
The "thank you" that Native Americans got last week from President Trump and Secretary Hegseth for their wartime valor was the cold and callous removal of the flag-raising photo solely because Pfc. Hayes was one of the Marines featured in the flag-raising.
The irony in today's new age bigotry is this: The people who were erased from our military history were true military heroes and icons, while the ones who erased them were not.
On August 1, 2015, I told you everything you needed to know about Donald Trump in my article titled, "Donald Trump's Newest Art of the Deal: Winning the American Presidency." Everything I wrote in that article has come true.
Trump has removed the ban on racially segregated facilities for federal contractors. The 1940s era of racial segregation on federal property is back. https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/03/18/nx-s1-5326118/segregation-federal-contracts-far-regulation-trump?fbclid=IwY2xjawJIDcNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHRBswFf75ItnnBaPnnY3Yl0r40cPT8-YOqda9ik5o9cqPKiYoDvxtkDvBA_aem_ai9-SiCmQfbSp_bzts_yqw
An article on Major League Baseball icon Jackie Robinson's military service was scrubbed from the Pentagon's website and restored after a huge outcry.
It has been Years since I sat on the steps of my shop with one of my customers. He was a tall stately Black Gentleman who lived in a shotgun house in Troy. Not sure why he chose us in Ewell, but I was glad for rhe business.
While my guys were working on his van I started asking him about his life. Turns out this humble man was a red-tail. He retired as an officer after fighting for his country.
It was an honor to listen to be in the presence of a patriot and hear some of his experiences
My biggest regret is I don't remember his name
Heroes like him don't need to be forgotten