Civil War hero Sgt. William Carney earned the Medal of Honor by carrying the American flag through fire at Fort Wagner, crawling forward despite multiple gunshot wounds. Now his story has been deleted from Defense.gov — with "DEI" stamped in the broken URL where his heroism used to be. Why? Because Carney had the audacity to be Black while fighting for his country.
Task & Purpose reports the removal of Carney's page is part of a larger purge that has also erased articles about Native American Code Talkers, Japanese-American WWII soldiers who served while their families sat in internment camps, and even two Marines from the iconic Iwo Jima flag-raising photo.
The deletions reflect new marching orders. "Anybody that says in the Department of Defense that diversity is our strength is, frankly, incorrect," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told reporters Monday.
Five U.S. Senators — all military veterans — fired back with a letter calling the removals a "middle finger to our veterans."
Carney's real-life valor inspired a key scene in the film Glory, where Denzel Washington portrays a soldier carrying the flag in the doomed assault on Fort Wagner.
Now Carney's story has vanished from official military history — a 404 error where American heroism used to be.
Previously:
• Hegseth's pledge to remain sober is adorably consequence-free
• Hegseth forced to quit vet groups due to financial mismanagement, sexual misconduct, and public intoxication, says New Yorker
• Pete Hegseth brags about 'replacing' his Harvard degree after Trump's humiliating announcement (video)
• Pete Hegseth suggests he 'will shoot protestors in the legs' if asked by Trump (video)
• Pete Hegseth flubs words of U.S. motto — asks soldiers to 'help me out' (video)
• Pete Hegseth's lawyer threatens to sue sex assault accuser if Trump-pick is not confirmed (video)
