The U.S. Defense Department has restored a webpage celebrating a Black Medal of Honor recipient after facing public outcry. The webpage, which honors Army Major General Charles Calvin Rogers, was initially removed and altered to include the letters "DEI" in its URL, coinciding with the Trump administration's effort to curtail Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the federal government. This incident highlights ongoing tensions over DEI policies within federal institutions.
The webpage removal sparked controversy when users were met with a "404 – Page Not Found" error message and noticed that the URL had been modified to incorporate 'DEI medal'. This occurred as the Trump administration, having returned to power in January, intensified its campaign to eliminate what it views as "illegal DEI and 'diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility' (DEIA) programs". An appeals court further facilitated this agenda by lifting a block on executive orders that sought to dismantle federal support for DEI programs.
A spokesperson for the defense department acknowledged the restoration of the webpage, stating:
"The department has restored the Medal of Honor story about army Maj Gen Charles Calvin Rogers… The story was removed during auto removal process."
Prior to its removal, a Google preview had shown the profile page, noting:
"as a Black man, he worked for gender and race equality while in the service."
The webpage's disappearance and subsequent URL modification drew attention as it aligned with broader governmental efforts to retract DEI measures. The Trump administration has been actively pursuing the termination of DEI-related mandates, policies, and activities deemed inconsistent with its objectives.
Despite the controversy, the defense department did not provide detailed explanations about why the webpage was initially taken down. However, public pressure and scrutiny led to its restoration and the removal of 'DEI' from the site's address.