Donald Trump's executive order to dismantle diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) initiatives in the federal government has led to the removal of articles about the famous Navajo code talkers from US military websites, Axios reports.
These code talkers, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, used the Navajo language to transmit secret messages, which significantly contributed to the U.S. victory, particularly in the Pacific Theater of War.
Axios reports that at least 10 articles about the Navajo Indians that mentioned their contributions have disappeared from U.S. Army and Department of Defense websites. Articles that were previously available now have broken links marked as "DEI." During the war, the Navajo used a secret code that the Japanese were unable to break. This allowed U.S. troops to communicate effectively and ensure victory.
The story has only been known since 1968, when the Navajo codebreakers’ contributions were declassified. Under Trump’s executive order, government agencies must remove all information related to DEI. A Pentagon spokesman confirmed that the DEI content had been removed and noted that the Department of Defense is actively complying with the executive order.
Ironically, it was in 1982 that President Ronald Reagan declared August 14th “Navajo Code Talkers Day” to honor their contribution to the US victory in World War II.