Erasing Our American Heroes
Dishonoring and disappearing those who served and sacrificed for our country.
In his dystopian novel “1984” George Orwell warned that the most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their understanding of their history.
On Feb. 23, 1945, Marine Corps Pfc. Ira Hayes, a 22-year-old Pima Indian from Arizona, was one of the six flag raisers in the iconic World War II photo taken atop Mount Suribachi on the small island of Iwo Jima.
By taking the 554-foot hill, the Marines halted the gunfire from Japanese soldiers dug in on this prime combat vantage point.
This week, the story of Ira Hayes’ heroic actions was removed from military websites following an executive order by President Trump.
The story of the historic Navajo Code Talkers of WWII has also been erased. These men were instrumental in Marine Corps operations from 1942 to 1945. Some 500 Code Talkers used their native tongues to transmit secret messages during the war.
Their codes were never broken, and their work contributed to several decisive American victories. Without the Code Talkers, many military officials believe, Iwo Jima would never have been taken.
Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of presidents, generals, Medal of Honor recipients, and more than 400,000 service members and their families, has complied with orders to purge its website of material focused on Black, Hispanic, and female service members buried in the cemetery.
It is part of the ongoing, rapid offensive to obliterate our nation’s history.
In the fall of 2023, my son, Morgan, and I traveled with some 85 veterans to Washington, DC, to film them being honored at our national monuments.
We interviewed several of these war heroes in front of the Iwo Jima Monument.
POSTSCRIPT:
The good news is that Americans are rising across the country to decry these shocking purges. As a result, the story of Marine Corps Private First Class Ira Hayes has now been put back on military websites.
RAISING OUR VOICES IN SUPPORT OF TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND EQUALITY IS MORE ESSENTIAL NOW THAN EVER.
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Resources:
Pima Indian Helped Raise American Flag on Iwo Jima During World War II - DOD Archives
Pentagon Takes Swipe at Native American Service Members - Last Real Indians
Articles about Navajo Code Talkers removed in Pentagon’s DEI purge - Military Times
Arlington scrubs race and gender from cemetery’s website - Stars and Stripes
Good news, the Code Talkers were just put back up.
I don't know how long you can continue launching the long-ball, hitting it out of the park every single day, but I'm grateful for the sustained effort. Long may you wave! It is pressure like this that will force the DoD to put our heroes back on the web.