Another day another diversity-centric outrage report involving President Donald Trump’s administration circulating online. But is it factual?
This one has been echoed by multiple people on several social media platforms — but most notably by Democratic influencer Carlos Turnbull, which had received nearly nine million views as of Monday morning.
It had also been shared over 10,000 times on X.
This time, Turnbull accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other members of the Pentagon of erasing all heroes in one of our nation’s most hallowed places, except for white males.
“Pete Hegseth removed Colin Powell’s name from a list of notable Americans, buried at Arlington National Cemetery,” Turnbull claimed.
“Hegseth also removed the names of every person of color and every woman on the same list. Only white men were left in place.”
Pete Hegseth removed Colin Powell’s name from a list of notable Americans, buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Hegseth also removed the names of every person of color and every woman on the same list. Only white men were left in place. pic.twitter.com/FZlv8gdUS9
— Carlos Turnbull (@cturnbull1968) March 20, 2025
As you may be able to tell from the community notes, other people were able to find it, and even Hegseth himself weighed in thusly: “Fake.”
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) March 20, 2025
So, what’s going on here?
It’s not any more difficult than looking on the website of the Arlington National Cemetery, which spells out what the Pentagon is doing.
“Arlington National Cemetery is actively working to update our website and Education Program content in compliance with executive orders issued by the president and Department of Defense instructions,” regarding DEI policies, an update from March 19 read.
Officials made it clear “that no service members have been permanently removed from the ‘Notable Graves’ section of our website.
“These pages highlight stories of historically significant individuals with accuracy and in commemoration of their service and sacrifice. All profiles of individuals from the previously listed categories ‘African American History,’ ‘Hispanic American History’ and ‘Women’s History’ can be found in other categories, such as ‘Prominent Military Figures,’ ‘Politics and Government,’ or ‘Science, Technology and Engineering’ (to name a few examples), based on the person’s historical contributions to our nation.”
So, in other words, they’re being treated as veterans and Americans, not as some kind of box-checking diversity lineup.
And you don’t have to search hard to find some of the landmark figures and groups Turnbull claimed were erased — like, for example, Colin Powell, who is mentioned under the politics and government section.
Vietnam veteran Gen. Colin Powell was the first African American to hold three of the U.S. government’s highest positions: national security advisor (1987-1989), chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-1993) and secretary of state (2001-2005). The son of Jamaican immigrants, Powell grew up in the South Bronx and enrolled in Army ROTC during college; he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1958. By 1989, he had risen to the rank of four-star general. His many awards and decorations include two Presidential Medals of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. (Section 60, Grave 11917)
And, under the “Prominent Military Figures” section, there’s even a page dedicated to the Tuskegee Airmen.
Prior to World War II, the U.S. military did not permit African Americans to become aviators, in spite of the numerous accomplishments of Black civilian pilots during the first decades of the aerial age. By the early 1940s, however, as American involvement in the European conflict intensified, military leaders had grown concerned about a shortage of trained pilots in the United States. Meanwhile, civil rights organizations and Black newspapers were publicly urging the military to allow African Americans to fly.
Thus, in June 1941, the U.S. Army Air Corps launched an experimental training program for Black aviators, located at Tuskegee Army Airfield near Tuskegee Institute, a historically Black university in Alabama. Between 1941 and 1946, 966 African American men completed military pilot training at Tuskegee. The “Tuskegee Airmen” formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Composite Group of the U.S. Army Air Forces. These mostly Black units (often commanded by white officers) completed more than 1,800 missions during World War II, which included 351 bomber escort missions and 112 aerial victories. Their loss record was among the lowest of all American escort fighter groups, and the 332nd Fight Group received the Presidential Unit Citation.
Of course, any site which features an entire section on the Tuskegee Airmen isn’t trying to erase black American history in any substantive way. The only difference is that the sections have been taken down.
It’s unclear what will happen going forward or whether the identitarian sections will be restored following a review of policies issued under the Trump administration. However, the claim that “Hegseth … removed the names of every person of color and every woman on the same list” and left “[o]nly white men” is false.
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