The U.S. Department of Defense says it plans to restore content on the Navajo Code Talkers that was recently scrubbed from the agency's website.
Axios first reported Monday that at least 10 articles mentioning the Code Talkers had disappeared from the U.S. Army and Department of Defense websites.
An agency spokesperson told KNAU Tuesday that the department is restoring content about the Navajo Code Talkers that had "previously been removed during the auto-removal process."
The Defense Department did not provide a timeline for when the information will be back online.
"We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms," said Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot in an emailed statement. "In the rare cases that content is removed—either deliberately or by mistake—that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct the components and they correct the content accordingly.”
Edited URLs suggest the webpages were removed following President Donald Trump's executive order ending federal diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
"Following recent policy changes and renewed digital content guidance, the Army took down webpages dedicated to cultural observance months, some of which featured content related to Code Talkers," said Army spokesperson Christopher Surridge in an emailed statement. "Historical content from culturally focused Army websites was temporarily archived and will soon be republished online."
Websites for the U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy still featured working links to articles referencing the Code Talkers as of Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren requested more information from the Defense Department and the U.S. Army about the removals.
"Recognizing the work of the Navajo Code Talkers is profoundly significant to the Navajo Nation," wrote Nygren in a letter to federal officials. "During World War II, the Navajo Code Talkers made indispensable contributions to American military successes in the Pacific theater."
Nygren added that "tribal nations, including the Navajo Nation, are distinct sovereign entities with their own governments and rights," and said tribal recognition should not be impacted by federal initiatives, including those related to DEI.
In addition, the Navajo Nation Council expressed its "strong disappointment" in the removal of the Code Talker articles.
“The service of the Navajo Code Talkers secured victory in the Battle of Iwo Jima and in World War II," says Speaker Crystalyne Curley. "The Navajo Code Talkers earned their place in history through their courage and sacrifice, giving their lives in defense of this nation. Erasing their extraordinary contributions from formal military history is not only disrespectful, it is dishonorable.”
The Navajo Code Talkers developed a code from the then-unwritten Navajo language that confounded the Japanese military and helped the U.S. win World War II.
