The Real Harm in DOD’s Revisionist History
Silencing the stories of non-male, non-white service members is not only an affront to our best and bravest—it’s also a military liability.
By Amy McGrath
The Trump administration is trying to erase history.
By purging references on websites and in text to the valor of women, people of color, Native Americans, and gender-based minorities, this administration is crafting a military narrative that plays into their prejudiced (and imaginary) view of an all-white, bro-culture, “lethal” fighting force—even though the last time that existed was before the Revolutionary War.
“I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is our diversity is our strength,” DOD Secretary Pete Hegseth has said in defense of the so-called DEI purge. “Our strength is our shared purpose, regardless of our background.”
Make no mistake about the truth: The Tuskegee Airmen were as successful and heroic a force as any in our history, despite fighting for a country that did not afford them basic rights. The Navajo Code Talkers played a unique and significant role in our war efforts that no other group could fulfill. And women, who as of 2021 made up 400,000 members of our current military, have proven themselves to be talented warfighters in all the roles they’ve filled, despite constantly having to fight for the opportunity to serve.
Historical revisionism isn’t new and leaders rewrite the past for a variety of reasons—from shame to feelings of inferiority. It’s not hard to see what’s driving the current DOD leadership.
The question worth focusing on: what serious harm can be done by adjusting the story of the United States Military, anyway? A lot, as it turns out.
Hegseth and the Trump administration’s assault on the truth could impact our military readiness for decades to come… solely by stifling inspiration. We are justly proud of our all-volunteer military service, and as the old saying goes, seeing is believing.
When I was a young aspiring aviator, my heroes were John Glenn (a Marine Corps fighter pilot and the first American to orbit the earth), Alan Shepard (US Naval Academy graduate and pilot, and the first American man in space), Rosemary Mariner (one of the first women naval aviators), and Matice Wright (the first Black woman Naval Flight Officer and a US Naval Academy graduate). I knew Rosemary and Matice’s stories and had seen their photos not because they were household names in America, but because the military celebrated their achievements and proactively told their stories to young people like me.
Knowing of their service, hearing accounts of their lives, and celebrating their accomplishments did not erode the military’s “shared sense of purpose,” as Hegseth implies—it helped recruitment. Because the military championed Rosemary and Matice, women like me aspired to achieve in service to our country. Some of the best and brightest leaders of the future need to be inspired now, and Hegseth and team are stifling that.
It’s not just about inspiration and recruitment. Studies have consistently found that companies with more diverse leadership teams are more likely to outperform their peers. A study by McKinsey & Company found that “companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 25 percent more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile.” This same thought process applies to the military. Diversity is good leadership.
Diversity of thought, gender, background, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, etc. is crucial to a well-rounded, lethal (yes, lethal) force. It is vital, when building and maintaining the strongest military in the world, to have people with different linguistic, medical, communication, and technical skills, not to mention a myriad of other talents. Intelligence, professionalism, and endurance come in more than just one (white, bro-shaped) package, and our military would be deeply weakened by a lesser variety of perspectives and skillsets.
To take it a step further with one measure of “diversity,” we need women in our military. During his recent address to Congress President Trump noted that the Army had its best recruiting month in fifteen years. The US Army is doing that BECAUSE of women. According to data cited on Military.com, “nearly 10,000 women signed up for active duty in the US Army in 2024, an 18% jump from the previous year, while male recruitment increased by just 8%.” It is counterproductive to erase the accomplishments of women and minorities when, historically, they are two groups who have to work harder and longer to achieve the same successes as white men. Women graduate from high school at higher rates and with better grades than men. Women attend college at higher rates than men. Women commit fewer crimes than men. It’s hard to argue that women are not qualified to serve (and be celebrated), when most measurable categories say otherwise.
Hegseth and Trump know this, though. They have access to the same studies I do. They have the ability to enlist the best advice possible and to surround themselves with leaders who will underscore the above. But they choose not to because rewriting history, dismissing women, and playing into their version of “manhood” is more important than maintaining global military readiness. And that should concern us all.
Amy McGrath is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the US Marine Corps, a former fighter pilot and a combat veteran.
Hesgeth and Trump are both predators. They combat their insecurity and inadequacies by preying on women using physical violence, intimidation, and lies. Women are a threat to men like these, and women in the military are the culmination of everything they lack and fear. Intelligence, resolve, loyalty to country, complex training, and the will to do the job are the traits that military women encompass. Until we get leaders who actually recognize this, and are willing to make sure that women are included in the military ranks, our country will be sorely lacking in military strength.
As I read this, I thank you for your military service and I salute the diverse "package" of men and women, patriots all, who make our military stronger.