The U.S. Air Force removed training courses with videos of its Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) on Saturday in response to President Donald Trump's executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, the Associated Press reported.
Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Air Force and the Tuskegee Airman Inc., a nonprofit foundation, via email for comment on Sunday afternoon.
Why It Matters
In a sweeping move after his inauguration on Monday, Trump rescinded numerous Biden-era executive orders and implemented many of his own. Among the new measures, Trump ordered what he called "ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing."
In response, several federal agencies have started removing resources for Americans from their websites. Agencies have also been canceling training and service contracts to comply with the directive, which aims to dismantle diversity programs across the federal government. Trump has ordered all DEI staff be placed on paid leave with the intention of eventually laying them off.
The Tuskegee Airmen and WASP represent pioneering groups of Black and female aviators from World War II as they both played a vital role in the war and a part of American history.
What To Know
The training course videos, previously shown to troops during basic military training, were removed after an internal review of DEI-related material.
According to the AP, the U.S. Air Force confirmed the decision in a statement on Saturday and said it "will fully execute and implement all directives outlined in the Executive Orders issued by the President, ensuring that they are carried out with utmost professionalism, efficiency and in alignment with national security objectives."
The decision has sparked backlash from advocacy groups, including the Tuskegee Airmen Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the unit's legacy.
"The stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and the WASPs are an essential part of American history and carried significant weight in the World War II veteran community. We believe the content of these courses does not promote one category of service member or citizen over another. They are simply a part of American military history that all service members should be made aware of," Tuskegee Airmen Inc. said in a statement to the AP on Saturday.
The Legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen and WASPs
The Tuskegee Airmen, also known as the "Red Tails," were the nation's first Black military pilots, serving in a segregated unit during World War II. The 332nd Fighter Group, their combat wing, achieved one of the lowest loss records among bomber escort squadrons, flying missions deep into Nazi-controlled Europe. Piloting aircraft like the P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang, they played a key role in protecting American bombers from devastating losses to enemy fighters.
In 2007, President George W. Bush awarded the group the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation's highest honors. In 2020, during his State of the Union address, Trump posthumously promoted Brigadier General Charles McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. McGee, who flew 409 combat missions across World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, passed away in 2022 at age 102.
Meanwhile, the WASP, were the first women to fly for the U.S. military, and played a vital role in World War II aviation. They ferried newly built bombers from U.S. factories to military bases across the country, freeing up male pilots for combat operations overseas. Despite their service, the WASP fought for decades to receive military honors, only securing the right to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in recent years.
What People Are Saying
Cheo Hodari Coker, creator of Marvel's Luke Cage on Netflix, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday: "As the grandson of a Tuskegee Airman, this blows my mind."
Bernice King, CEO of Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, wrote on X on Sunday: "Believing or asserting for the sheer purpose of erasure that the #TuskegeeAirmen are "DEI hires" or that teaching about them is 'CRT' = racism + gross miseducation + willful ignorance."
Representative Terri A. Sewell, an Alabama Democrat, wrote on X on Saturday: "The Tuskegee Airmen bravely fought and died for our freedoms before this nation even granted them the full benefits of citizenship. To strip them from the Air Force curriculum is an outrageous betrayal of our values as Americans. Their heroism is not DEI. It is American history!"
Dorothy Brown, a Georgetown law professor who served on Joe Biden's Inaugural Treasury Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, told the AP that Trump's order has far-reaching implications for workforce diversity.
"Conservatives would say it is wrong to target someone based on their race, but that is exactly what Trump is doing," she said.
The White House Office of Communications in a "fact sheet" emailed to Newsweek on Tuesday night: "President Trump promised to terminate DEI in the federal government, protect equal opportunity, and force schools to end discriminatory admissions policies, and he delivered."
What Happens Next
Trump's order gives agencies 120 days to compile a report with recommendations for "enforcing Federal civil-rights laws and taking other appropriate measures to encourage the private sector to end illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI."
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