Arlington Cemetery website scrubs links about Black and female veterans

Arlington National Cemetery has scrubbed information about prominent Black, Hispanic and female service members and topics such as the Civil War from its website, part of a broader effort across the Defense Department to remove all references to diversity, equity and inclusion from its online presence.

A cemetery spokesperson confirmed Friday that it removed internal links directing users to webpages listing the dozens of “Notable Graves” of Black, Hispanic and female veterans and their spouses.

On these pages, users could read short biographies about the people buried in the cemetery, including Gen. Colin L. Powell, the youngest and first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs; Hector Santa Anna, a World War II B-17 bomber pilot, Berlin Airlift pilot and career military leader; members of the Tuskegee Airmen, the country’s first Black military airmen whose accomplishments include completing more than 1,800 missions during World War II; and members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black, all-female Women’s Army Corps unit to serve overseas during World War II.

Users could also read about Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first Black person to sit on the high court, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is buried alongside her husband, Martin Ginsburg, an Army veteran.

President Donald Trump signed executive orders on his first day in office banning DEI in federal programs and contracts. Since then, directives from Pentagon leaders have ordered the removal of all news and feature articles, photos and videos that “promote” DEI.

In a statement to the Washington Post, a spokesperson for the cemetery said they are working to ensure that the content posted on the website complies with the administration’s policies.

“We are proud of our educational content and programming and working diligently to return removed content to ensure alignment with Department of Defense instruction 5400.17 and Executive Orders issued by the President,” the spokesperson said.

“We remain committed to sharing the stories of military service and sacrifice to the nation with transparency and professionalism, while continuing to engage with our community in a manner that reflects our core values,” they added.

The removals were first reported by Civil War historian Kevin M. Levin on his Substack “Civil War Memory” and further reported on by Task and Purpose.

Levin, a Boston author and former teacher, was tipped off about the website changes by a friend who was a teacher, he told the Post in a telephone interview Friday.

“It’s incredibly unfortunate. This is just the kind of history that we want students to be learning, a history that allows students from different backgrounds to make a meaningful connection with one of our sacred sites,” Levin said.

He said Arlington’s history is a powerful tool to teach people about American history and the website is an extension of that.

“This is a place where history comes alive, and you feel it when you’re there,” he said. “Even if you can’t bring your students there, you can bring the stories to them in the classroom. There’s a story there for everyone to connect to.”

Levin warned that restoring the lost information won’t be simple.

“People think that with a few clicks you can just return these sites to normal. I think we’re going to be in for a rude awakening in realizing just how much we potentially can lose in terms of the work that’s been done, and the just trust that’s been built up over the years,” he said.

“That’s not going to be easily reparable, in my view,” he added.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote in a February memo that by March 5, the department “must take all practicable steps, consistent with records management requirements, to remove all DoD news and feature articles, photos, and videos that promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).”

When asked for comment, the Pentagon deferred to the Army. Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said the Army had nothing to add to Arlington’s statement.

While Arlington Cemetery has removed internal links to the webpages, some of the material can be found by copying and pasting the link into a search bar. The biographies of notable Black, Hispanic and female veterans and their spouses are still accessible through active internal links, such as “U.S. Supreme Court” or “Prominent Military Figures.” But three categories no longer appear prominently: “African American History,” “Hispanic American History” or “Women’s History.”

Among the people listed under “Women’s History” are Elizebeth Smith Friedman, one of the leading cryptologists of the 20th century and one of the first women employed as a codebreaker for the United States; Captain Joy Bright Hancock, who has been credited with expanding women’s opportunities in the military; and Major General Marcelite Jordan Harris, once the highest-ranking female officer in the Air Force and the highest-ranking Black American woman in the Defense Department.

Among those listed under “Hispanic American History” are Captain Maria Ines Ortiz, who served in served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was the first Army nurse killed in combat since the Vietnam War; Humbert Roque Versace, a Vietnam prisoner of war who received the first Medal of Honor for actions performed in Southeast Asia while in captivity; and the Borinqueneers, members of the U.S. Army’s 65th Infantry Regiment that fought in the Korean War.

The cemetery has completely removed educational materials on the Civil War and Medal of Honor recipients, among other topics. According to an archived version of “The Civil War” webpage, users could browse lesson plans, walking tours and other material. Now, users can read only a brief overview of the cemetery’s connection to the war at the top of the page.

One of the lesson plans featured on the archived version of the Civil War page contains information about the United States Colored Troops, Black American regiments that served in the Union Army. The lesson plan is a part of the cemetery’s “Celebrated Units” series.

“Some units faced discrimination and unequal treatment,” the lesson plan reads. “Some units had particularly distinguished records. All units highlighted in this series served their country admirably and made a lasting impact on the U.S.”