Team:

I served alongside brave Navajo warriors in Iraq. They’re as close as brothers to me.

Indigenous people have fought for this country with honor for generations, even as they fight for their own rights and dignity at home. Their stories are important.

I’ll give you two examples:

Ira Hayes, a member of the Pima tribe, grew up on the Gila River Reservation in Arizona. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942 and fought throughout the Pacific. He was one of the six flagraisers on Iwo Jima, featured in the famous picture on top of Mount Suribachi. He came home and helped with the Seventh War Loan Drive, the most successful loan drive of the war. Ira struggled with PTSD and alcoholism after the war, like many veterans. He died just 10 years after raising the flag on Iwo Jima.

Ira Hayes is a hero to all Americans, and a legend to all Marines.

Not good enough for the Trump administration, though. The Pentagon and Secretary Hegseth just deleted a page about Ira in their “DEI” purge.


Another legendary group of Marines in World War Two were the Navajo Code Talkers. These men were tasked with developing a code, transmitting, and decoding messages in combat in the Navajo language. They served throughout the Pacific to immense effect, and their code was never broken.

Every Marine learns about the Code Talkers, and to this day the Navajo people are rightfully proud of their legacy.

The Navajo Code Talkers are heroes. But, again, not good enough for the Trump administration. Secretary Hegseth and the Pentagon deleted their websites, too.

These deletions aren’t limited to Ira Hayes or the Navajo Code Talkers, either. It’s women warfighters, it’s the Tuskegee Airmen, Harlem Hellfighters, the 442nd Infantry Regiment — anybody that isn’t white. If you made the mistake of being born a minority, your service doesn’t matter to this White House.

Sorry for the language, but this is bullsh*t. And if nobody in the Trump administration is going to do anything to make sure these heroes get the recognition they deserve, I will.

Please, add your name and join me in demanding Secretary Hegseth and the Pentagon re-up every page they’ve deleted. These are people who served with distinction, and the least we can do is make sure their webpages stay online.

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Semper Fi,

Ruben
 


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