Defense Department works to purge diversity, equity and inclusion content

FACE OUR FEARS: DESTROYING OUR RECORDED HISTORY DOESN’T CHANGE THE PAST

More than 26,000 images have been flagged for removal across every military branch as the Defense Department works to purge diversity, equity and inclusion content, according to a database obtained by The Associated Press.

This includes: References to a World War II Medal of Honor recipient, the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan and the first women to pass Marine infantry training. One official who spoke to the AP under the condition of anonymity said that the purge could delete as many as 100,000 images or posts in total when taking into account social media pages and other websites.

All of this in the name of smiting DEI at any cost. This is beyond shameful and will be yet another stain on our nation. White supremacy is one hell of a drug when you think that in order for those in charge, like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to feel powerful in their whiteness and maleness, they have to desecrate and demolish those who gave their lives to this nation.

Hegseth has given the military until March 12 to remove content that showcases diversity in its ranks after President Trump’s executive order ended federal DEI programs.

This purge naturally targets women and minorities — who have and always have been — integral to our nation’s military. I think of women during World War II who took on unprecedented roles in the workforce and military, like working in factories, joining the armed forces and helping the war efforts on the home fronts with victory gardens and more.

My own maternal grandmother, Pasqualina Rapagnani Cetta, was an Army nurse, working in England and took care of wounded American soldiers. She met my grandfather there — one of her patients who was also in the Army. She proudly served in Europe as first Lieutenant in the 91st general hospital division in the US Army from 1943-1946.

Whenever I feel scared to stand up for other or for myself, I think of her strength, her bravery and her fortitude. This is what her memory means to me. This is why representation is so important. I am because she was. This is why they want to erase us.

My grandmother always believed in giving to those less fortunate. Although she lived her life in poverty, she was never poor. She was rich in her brilliance, determination and empathy. She — much like my mother — showed me that you can do anything and should always stand up for and with those more vulnerable than you.

I am starting to tear up while I write this as I feel her energy flowing through me. None of what is happening in our nation is acceptable, normal or sustainable if we want our society to function and prosper moving forward. None of this is what my grandparents fought for.

Not only are these spineless cowards in Washington removing imagery that showcases the rich histories of minorities and women in our armed forces, they are also removing mention of various commemorative months — such as those for Hispanic cultures, Black people, Pacific Islanders and women, among others.

But it gets worse — and more confusing. Some files are being removed just because the word “gay” is included, like an image of the B-29 aircraft Enola Gay. This aircraft dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. To erase these images is an attempt to hide from the shame and horror of what transpired when that bomb was dropped — forever changing the world and how the United States moved in it.

The Tuskegee Airmen — the nation’s first Black military pilots — who were forced to serve under a segregated WWII unit, were first listed on the database but now may be protected due to the nature of the historical content, according to the AP.

Hegseth has since declared that “DEI is dead,” as Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot released in a statement: “We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms. In the rare cases that content is removed that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct components accordingly.”

The reasoning for this misguided and dangerous policy choice is they believe putting one group ahead of another through DEI programs erodes camaraderie and threatens mission execution.

REALITY CHECK: Can you imagine how the military would function without non-white communities participating? Without women or LGBTQ+ communities?

According to USA Facts: In 2023, women comprised 17.7% of the active-duty military force, and approximately 31.2% of active-duty members self-identified as belonging to a racial minority group, which is higher than the 24.5% non-white demographic share of the US population in 2022.

Every branch of the military, apart from the Marine Corps, had a higher overall representation of racial minorities than the US population. However, representation varies depending on the service branch.

In the Army, 21% of the soldiers are Black or African American, totaling 97,482 troops. This percentage is 50% higher than their 14% representation in the US population, showing they have a more substantial presence in the Army.

The Space Force was the only branch with a higher proportion of Asian Americans than the US population.

I say if they don’t want to acknowledge that we exist, then we don’t join the military. This lack of understanding of how things work mixed with a refusal to think of others outside themselves is ultimately what will undo this nation.

Case in point, CNN recently reported that Elon Musk wants to save Western civilization from empathy. “We’ve got civilizational suicidal empathy going on,” Musk said, borrowing the term from Gad Saad, a Canadian scholar, who frequents Joe Rogan’s right-wing podcast. “The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy, the empathy exploit,” Musk said. “There it’s they’re exploiting a bug in Western civilization, which is the empathy response.”

Empathy, he said, has been “weaponized.”

We do need to weaponize empathy. We need to use it to destroy this incredible selfishness and self-importance embodied by men like Musk who are only out for themselves — others be damned.

I don’t want to see any children grow up in a world where they are told they aren’t worthy enough to EXIST because of the color of their skin, ethnicity, because of their gender, sexual orientation, ability, religion or socioeconomic or immigration status. Diversity, equity and inclusion means that all of us get a chance not just to survive but to thrive.

And standing on the shoulders of the strong and brave women who came before me, like my grandmother Pasqualina Rapagnani Cetta, I’ll be damned if I see the Musks of the world get to determine our worthiness to be, to love and to live in harmony on this blue spinning ball we are lucky enough to find ourselves on.

How dare he. How dare Trump and Hegseth and all these men (and women who carry water for them) who think they can just take and destroy what belongs to all of us. We must rise up and stand in solidarity against fascists, as our ancestors have done time and time again throughout history.

We will win this war, even if the road is long, even if we ourselves don’t live to see the fruits of our labor. Because this world and all the wonderful people and creatures who inhabit it are worth it.

We are worthy. All of us. No matter what database they try to erase. We will still exist. We always have.

Until next time, take care of yourselves, and each other. In solidarity, Natalie

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