Pentagon restores webpages honoring Navajo Code Talkers amid DEI purge

• The Pentagon said it has restored some webpages honoring the contributions of Navajo Code Talkers and others during World War II. Pentagon officials said that the pages were unintentionally taken down in an attempt to follow President Trump’s executive order over DEI.
• Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot said in a statement that, in an attempt to follow government directives, the mistake was made and then corrected.
• The Navajo Nation said that White House officials informed them that Code Talkers and Native American contributions to wartime efforts were mistakenly removed through an artificial intelligence program that unintentionally targeted any reference to “Navajo.”

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The Pentagon said it has restored some webpages honoring the contributions of Navajo Code Talkers and other Native American veterans who helped the United States and its allies win World War II, following public outcry over their removal during the week of March 16.

What happened?

Pentagon officials said the initial deletion was to comply with an executive order from President Donald Trump to remove diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) content across federal agencies, including the military, but the effort unintentionally took down the Navajo webpages.

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What is the Pentagon saying?

Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot said in a statement, “In the rare cases that content is removed — either deliberately or by mistake — that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct the components and they correct the content so it recognizes our heroes for their dedicated service alongside their fellow Americans, period.”

How did AI play a role in the removal?

The Navajo Nation said White House officials informed them that Navajo Code Talkers and Native American contributions to wartime efforts were mistakenly removed through an artificial intelligence program that unintentionally targeted any reference to “Navajo.”

Some webpages on Navajo Code Talkers were gone on Tuesday, March 18, but some were back up on Wednesday, March 19. However, any pages referencing Native American Heritage Month remained down, while thousands of other pages deleted in the executive purge remain offline.

How is the Navajo Nation responding?

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, who sent a letter seeking explanation for the removal, said he’s pleased with the restoration.

Nygren said, “I want to assure the Navajo people that we remain in close communication with federal officials to ensure the legacy of our cherished Navajo Code Talkers is never erased from American and Navajo history.”

In World War II, Navajo men sent thousands of messages using the tribe’s unwritten language in code to communicate Japanese troop movements, battlefield methods and other crucial information to U.S. forces to aid them in victory.

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What is the bigger picture?

The latest removal of webpages comes as the Department of Defense works to reassure the public that it is not removing historic achievements of minority men and women in the armed services.

The DOD restored a webpage on Wednesday that acknowledged the military service of baseball legend and civil rights trailblazer Jackie Robinson after it was removed earlier in the day.

Previously removed webpages honoring Japanese American military service members and pages dedicated to Army Maj. Charles C. Rogers, a Black Medal of Honor recipient, were also restored.