Pentagon website removes, then restores, page honoring Black Medal of Honor recipient [View all]

Source: NPR

March 17, 2025 5:45 PM ET


Army Maj. Gen. Charles C. Rogers is the highest-ranking Black servicemember to receive the Medal of Honor. His actions during the Vietnam War, when he was wounded and came under repeated attack by the North Vietnamese Army, were later hailed by then-President Richard Nixon.

But a Department of Defense profile of Rogers, who died in 1990, was taken down on Friday. It comes as the Trump administration has pushed to remove references to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across the federal government. The removal prompted outrage over what many saw as a disrespectful erasing of history. As of Monday afternoon, the page had returned to the website.

The Defense Department "has restored the Medal of Honor story about Army Maj. Gen. Charles Calvin Rogers," a spokesperson told NPR in an email, adding, "The story was removed during auto removal process."

The agency did not provide details about the removal process, or why the page's URL was briefly altered to add the letters "dei."

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/03/17/nx-s1-5330848/defense-pentagon-black-medal-of-honor-charles-rogers