Jackie Robinson’s Military Service Removed From Defense Department Website as Crackdown on DEI Continues

The Department of Defense has removed an article highlighting Jackie Robinson’s military service from its website, in step with the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to eliminate content perceived as linked to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

The removal comes amid a broader rollback of DEI-related programs under the Trump administration, which has made its opposition to such initiatives clear.

Robinson, widely celebrated as a national hero, broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947 when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers as the first Black major league player, and later earned a place in the MLB Hall of Fame. Prior to his baseball career, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

The removal of Robinson’s page was first noted by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who pointed out that the webpage’s URL had been modified to include “DEI” before it was taken down. This action aligns with other recent removals of military history pages featuring diverse figures, including Native American Marine Ira Hayes, who was famously photographed raising the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima, and the Native American code talkers. A page on Maj. Gen. Charles Calvin Rogers, a Black Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War, was also removed but later reinstated after public outcry.

A spokesperson for the Department of Defense, Sean Parnell, defended the removals. “I think the president and the secretary have been very clear on this – that anybody that says in the Department of Defense that diversity is our strength is, frankly, incorrect,” Parnell stated.

Robinson’s military service included a significant act of defiance against segregation. In 1944, he refused an order to move to the back of an Army bus, an act of protest that led to a court-martial. Robinson was acquitted and completed his service before being honorably discharged in November 1944.

The removal of Robinson’s military history seems to contradict President Donald Trump’s own praise of the baseball icon. Just last month, Trump announced that Robinson’s statue would be included in a national garden of heroes, recognizing him as one of the “Black legends, champions, warriors, and patriots who helped drive our country forward to greatness.”