The Pentagon has restored a webpage honoring a Black Medal of Honor recipient after it was taken down and had the letters “DEI” added to its address. The change sparked public backlash, leading to the page being restored and the “DEI” label removed.
On Saturday, multiple news outlets reported that the webpage for US Army Major General Charles Calvin Rogers, who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War, was no longer working. The link led to a “404” error, and the URL had been altered, changing the word “medal” to “deimedal.”
Rogers, who passed away in 1990, was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1970 by President Richard Nixon. He became the highest-ranking African American to ever receive the medal after being wounded three times while defending a military base in Vietnam.
On Saturday, the webpage for Rogers’ Medal of Honor was down, showing a “404 – Page Not Found” message. A note said: “The page you are looking for might have been moved, renamed, or may be temporarily unavailable.”
Brandon Friedman, a writer, shared a screenshot on Bluesky showing that while the page was not working, Google still showed a preview of the profile. It mentioned that Rogers, “as a Black man, worked for gender and race equality while in the service.” Friedman also pointed out that the URL now included “DEI medal.”
This is blood-boiling. Charles Rogers was awarded the Medal of Honor in Vietnam after being wounded three times leading the defense of a position.
Google his name and the entry below comes up. When you click, you'll see the page has been deleted and the URL changed to include "DEI medal."
— Brandon Friedman (@brandonfriedman.bsky.social) March 15, 2025 at 9:25 PM
By Monday, the webpage was back online, and the URL had returned to its original form, with “DEI” no longer in the address.
The Pentagon did not comment on why the page had been taken down or why the URL had changed.
Since taking office again in January, President Donald Trump has pushed to reduce diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts across the federal government. One executive order aimed to end all DEI programs and policies, calling them “illegal.” Recently, an appeals court lifted a block on Trump’s executive orders, allowing them to move forward.
