03/10/2025
Pictures have power
This photograph and the history of these World War II heroes have been declared dangerous by the Trump administration and have been deleted from multiple Department of Defense websites in recent days.
Right now, the stories and photographs of women veterans and service members are being erased by the tens of thousands from federal government websites. This is part of a systematic effort by the Trump administration to erase the contributions of women and minorities to the country. This massive erasure of history has never been seen before in American history.
Censoring the history of veterans, such as that of the highly decorated "Six Triple Eight" battalion pictured here, simply due to their identity as women or minorities, is shameful. It is shameful to our veterans, shameful to our service members, and shameful to our country.
This photo and a feature about the "Six Triple Eight" was deleted from Defense Visual Information Distribution Service's website; an in-depth article about this historic battalion was also deleted from the U.S. Army's website. Both were erased as part of the federal government's purge of "DEI" content following Trump's executive order.
Under the direction of Trump's controversial Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Defense Department is currently conducting a sweeping purge of articles and images highlighting the accomplishments of women or minority service members. A federal official confirmed to the AP that the database of images that have been flagged for removal across every military branch includes more than 26,000 photographs. The official further observed that the purge could ultimately delete as many as 100,000 images or posts in total after social media content is also culled.
In an effort to justify such vast and unprecedented government censorship, Hegseth has repeatedly declared that he is "returning the focus of the military to merit." Ironically, Hegseth, himself, lacked the normal qualifications for a person serving as Secretary of Defense, with his military experience being limited to serving in the National Guard and lacking any experience running an institution even a fraction of the size of the U.S. Defense Department. Widely considered a loyalist hire as he frequently celebrated Trump during his past ten years as a Fox News TV personality, Hegseth is clearly devoid of the relevant skills, experience, and, due to the many allegations of sexual assault against him, the character, to 'merit' such a consequential position.
It's astounding that Trump and his eager footsoldiers like Hegseth are so threatened by women and their accomplishments that they are literally making history disappear. Any leader with honor would pay homage to veterans like the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black female battalion to serve overseas during World War II.
The battalion, which has been honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, arrived in Europe in 1945 to address a backlog of millions of pieces of undelivered mail for U.S. troops which was hurting troop morale. In only three months using a system of their own creation, the 6888th cleared the backlog in both the UK and France. They worked seven days a week, in three shifts, with each shift handling an estimated 65,000 pieces of mail. As an official observed during a ceremony dedicating a memorial to the "Six Triple Eight" at Fort Leavenworth: "The women of the 6888th didn't just deliver mail – they delivered hope to millions of American soldiers."
This is the history that Trump is shamefully erasing; a proud history that recognizes the contributions of all Americans. This is the act of a coward and a tyrant. This is NOT normal.
To speak out against Trump's "DEI" purge, you can contact your elected officials with 5 Calls at https://5calls.org/issue/dei-diversity-equity-inclusion-executive-order/
-------
To read the AP report on the Department of Defense's vast photo purge, visit https://apnews.com/article/dei-purge-images-pentagon-diversity-women-black-8efcfaec909954f4a24bad0d49c78074
To view the DVIDS page where this photo and an article appeared until this week, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/news/467025/army-reserve-ambassador-highlights-female-army-trailblazers
To view it as it appeared prior to its deletion on the Internet Archive, visit https://web.archive.org/web/20250202022337/https://www.dvidshub.net/news/467025/army-reserve-ambassador-highlights-female-army-trailblazers
The U.S. Army's main article on the 6888th previously appeared at https://www.army.mil/article/265542/wwii_six_triple_eight_postal_unit_triumphed_under_pressure
To read it on the Internet Archive, visit https://web.archive.org/web/20241207185325/https://www.army.mil/article/265542/wwii_six_triple_eight_postal_unit_triumphed_under_pressure
-------
To introduce kids to the 6888th's heroic story, we highly recommend the graphic novel for ages 8 and up "The Courageous Six Triple Eight" at https://amzn.to/3FcHHoN
For adult readers, we recommend historical fiction novels "Sisters in Arms" (https://amzn.to/3DpsnVa) and "Women of the Post (https://amzn.to/4ielXXU) -- and an upcoming memoir by Six Triple Eight Champion Army Colonel Edna W. Cummings "A Soldier's Life" (https://amzn.to/3QW19bG)
To learn more about the Six Triple Eight, there is also a powerful documentary telling their story at https://amzn.to/4kCQr7C
For an excellent book for teens and adults about the contributions of African-American women during World War II, we highly recommend “Double Victory: How African American Women Broke Race and Gender Barriers to Help Win World War II” at https://www.amightygirl.com/double-victory
For an inspiring children's book that gives groundbreaking women in the military, past and present, the respect they deserve, we recommend "Heroism Begins With Her: Inspiring Stories of Bold, Brave, and Gutsy Women in the U.S. Military" for ages 9 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/heroism-begins-with-her
For books for young readers that honor the service of women in the military, visit our blog post "The Price of Peace: A Mighty Girl Recognizes Veterans" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12356
For books for children and teens about the importance of standing up for truth, decency, and justice, even in dark times, visit our blog post, "Dissent Is Patriotic: 50 Books About Women Who Fought for Change," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14364
To see more stories from A Mighty Girl, you can sign-up for A Mighty Girl's free weekly email newsletter at https://www.amightygirl.com/forms/newsletter -- and follow us on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/amightygirl.com
