The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has removed a webpage honoring Charles Calvin Rogers, a Black U.S. Army general and Medal of Honor recipient, leading to backlash and concerns about the erasure of Black military history.
The webpage, which commemorated Rogers’ heroism during the Vietnam War, now leads to a “404 error,” and its URL was reportedly altered to include the letters “DEI.”
The change follows broader policy reversals on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across U.S. agencies under Donald Trump‘s administration.
Who Was Charles C. Rogers?
Born in Claremont, West Virginia, Rogers was a highly decorated Army officer and the highest-ranking Black soldier to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War.
On November 1, 1968, Rogers, then a lieutenant colonel, commanded the 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery Regiment at Fire Support Base Rita near the Cambodian border. Under heavy attack from North Vietnamese forces, Rogers was wounded three times but continued directing artillery fire and leading counterattacks until the enemy was repelled.
The West Virginia Hall of Fame describes the battle: “While manning a fire support base, members of the 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Rogers, found themselves in a desperate struggle. Enemy forces launched an attack that penetrated the base perimeter. Wounded three times over the next two days, Rogers directed artillery fire and led counterattacks until the enemy force was repelled.”
In 1970, President Richard Nixon awarded Rogers the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary bravery. Rogers later served in various leadership roles before his death in 1990. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
A Sudden Removal Sparks Controversy
The removal was first noticed when users attempting to visit Rogers’ Medal of Honor page on the DoD website were met with a “404 – Page Not Found” message. The URL itself had reportedly been altered from “medal” to “deimedal,” raising speculation about political motives.
When users attempted to visit the Department of Defense webpage for Rogers, they encountered the message: “The page you are looking for might have been moved, renamed, or may be temporarily unavailable.”
Brandon Friedman, an MSNBC columnist and former Obama administration official, was among those who raised the alarm. In a Bluesky post, Friedman condemned the removal, stating, “This is blood-boiling. Charles Rogers was awarded the Medal of Honor in Vietnam after being wounded three times leading the defense of a position. Google his name and the entry below comes up. When you click, you’ll see the page has been deleted and the URL changed to include ‘DEI medal.’”
Friedman’s post quickly gained traction, fueling concerns that the removal of Rogers’ webpage is part of a broader rollback of DEI programs and historical representation of Black military personnel.
The Pentagon has not confirmed whether Rogers’ webpage will be reinstated.
Erasing Military History?
The removal of Rogers’ webpage comes as part of a larger military review of DEI-related content, which has resulted in thousands of pages, photos, and news articles being flagged for deletion.
Earlier this year a report found that more than 26,000 images across all military branches had been marked for removal under an executive order signed by Trump, with officials estimating the final count could exceed 100,000.
Among the removals are historical images of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first female Marine Corps infantry graduates, and even photos of the Enola Gay, the aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
The Pentagon directive has led to confusion, with some images appearing to have been flagged solely because their filenames contained words like “Gay” or other terms mistakenly associated with DEI content.
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