HamzaWaseem
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Several publications and online content honoring retired Colonel Nicole Malachowski, the first female pilot to fly with the elite Thunderbirds demonstration team, have been taken down from official military websites by the U.S Air Force, this move is a component of a larger Trump administration effort to remove DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) content from federal government platforms.
Malachowski herself discovered the deletions when links to some of her archived stories, such as “A life in flight for first woman ‘Thunderbirds’ pilot,” began leading to “404 page not found” errors on Air Force and Marine Corps websites. Public affairs officials from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina confirmed the removals were made to comply with recent presidential directives targeting DEI-related material.
The removed content included biographies, feature stories, images, and videos highlighting Malachowski’s historic achievements and contributions during her 21-year career, including commanding a fighter squadron and flying F-15E Strike Eagles. Other pioneering female aviators, such as retired Major Jeannie Leavitt—the first female pilot in the U.S. military—have also seen their biographies and tributes taken offline as part of the same purge.
Malachowski expressed deep disappointment over the removals, stating, “You’re good enough to serve but not good enough to be remembered.” She criticized the erasure of her and other women’s accomplishments as a harmful message that disregards the barriers overcome by service members. “There was indeed a time when women and minorities could not serve in our military. There was indeed a time when women and minorities could not fly aircraft in defense of their country. For us to act like those barriers never happened or those barriers were never broken is to completely ignore our history,” she said.
The order to remove DEI content was based on a Pentagon document issued in February 2025 that directed all Defense Department agencies to remove news stories, images and videos that promoted DEI, particularly those that discussed identity-based programs, gender ideology and critical racial theory, the erased content must be archived by the agencies, but public exhibition is forbidden, the goal of this "digital content refresh" is to bring military communications into line with the priorities of the current administration, but veterans and former service members have criticized the move, claiming that it distorts military history and fails to acknowledge the variety of contributions made.
The general attempt to remove DEI-related content is still ongoing, even if some removed content has been reinstalled in response to public outcry, the deletions impact thousands of pages on federal and military websites, including those that discuss Black History Month, Women's History Month and minority military contributions. Malachowski is not the only one affected.
Malachowski herself discovered the deletions when links to some of her archived stories, such as “A life in flight for first woman ‘Thunderbirds’ pilot,” began leading to “404 page not found” errors on Air Force and Marine Corps websites. Public affairs officials from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina confirmed the removals were made to comply with recent presidential directives targeting DEI-related material.
The removed content included biographies, feature stories, images, and videos highlighting Malachowski’s historic achievements and contributions during her 21-year career, including commanding a fighter squadron and flying F-15E Strike Eagles. Other pioneering female aviators, such as retired Major Jeannie Leavitt—the first female pilot in the U.S. military—have also seen their biographies and tributes taken offline as part of the same purge.
Malachowski expressed deep disappointment over the removals, stating, “You’re good enough to serve but not good enough to be remembered.” She criticized the erasure of her and other women’s accomplishments as a harmful message that disregards the barriers overcome by service members. “There was indeed a time when women and minorities could not serve in our military. There was indeed a time when women and minorities could not fly aircraft in defense of their country. For us to act like those barriers never happened or those barriers were never broken is to completely ignore our history,” she said.
The order to remove DEI content was based on a Pentagon document issued in February 2025 that directed all Defense Department agencies to remove news stories, images and videos that promoted DEI, particularly those that discussed identity-based programs, gender ideology and critical racial theory, the erased content must be archived by the agencies, but public exhibition is forbidden, the goal of this "digital content refresh" is to bring military communications into line with the priorities of the current administration, but veterans and former service members have criticized the move, claiming that it distorts military history and fails to acknowledge the variety of contributions made.
The general attempt to remove DEI-related content is still ongoing, even if some removed content has been reinstalled in response to public outcry, the deletions impact thousands of pages on federal and military websites, including those that discuss Black History Month, Women's History Month and minority military contributions. Malachowski is not the only one affected.
