When They Come to Erase You

How Pete Hegseth is standing on the necks of those who Serve

Today on International Women’s Day, the Military has been ordered by Pete Hegseth to erase the achievements of women and minorities from all online content. Black History Month was already removed from recognition, and women are in the crosshairs. In a world where perception is everything, they’ve unleashed the weapon of erasing female strength and the strength of people of color—people who were turned away, beaten down, told they were less than, and still they pushed through. To recognize only the achievements of white men is a lie.

Sally Murphy was the first female army aviator.

“During flight school on her first day, the officer in charge singled Murphy out in front of the class and announced that she was the first woman to go through flight school at Fort Rucker. A captain once demanded to know what she was doing wearing a flight suit and accused her of making a mockery of it. Later, she learned that some civilian contractor flight instructors refused to train her.”

Jesse Leroy Brown was the first black navy aviator.

“When he saw a poster announcing a new Navy flight training program called V-5, he rushed to the recruiting office and asked to be admitted into the program. The somewhat stunned recruiting officer, a Lieutenant Dawkins, told him that he wouldn’t be able to pass the written exam, adding that even if he did, there was no way Jesse would ever get to sit in a Navy cockpit since there had never been a Black Navy aviator. Brown responded that he would like to be the first. Eventually, the recruiter ran out of excuses and let him take the exam—actually several written tests. The young man from Mississippi passed them all with flying colors, also acing the physical.”

My training partner in flight school, known as a stickbuddy, was Ken Straits, a slight but extremely fit white guy who wore the Ranger tab, one of the most grueling leadership courses in the military. He was among the most humble, tenacious, “good guys” I ever served with. Without Ken’s support, I’m not sure I could have successfully weathered some of the discrimination I faced in flight school. I was the first woman he’d ever worked with, and he treated me with the utmost respect, grace, and shared camaraderie. He was the first Ranger I ever met, and he became the standard I then expected of every Ranger I met after him.

Years later, in 2015, 1st Lt. Shaye L. Haver and Capt. Kristen M. Griest, became the first women to pass and earn the Army Ranger tab. I remember reading the news of this feat and crying with joy, thinking about what a grueling and amazing achievement that was and how they now shared the same status as Ken, who I so admired.

When General Miller, who addressed the graduates of their class, was questioned about “lowered standards,” something Hegseth claims today is reason to remove women from combat and elite roles, Miller responded:

“There has been discussion about standards at Ranger School having been lowered to accommodate the women participants. That talk isn't true.

Standards remain the same. The five-mile run is still five miles. The times don't adjust. A 12-mile road march is still 12 miles," he said. "The required rucksack weights remain the same. Ranger students must pass patrols and peers. The mountains are still here. The swamps remain intact. There was no pressure from anyone above me to change standards.”

And while these are just a few notable firsts, the lists could go on with hundreds of women and men who did exactly what the military asks of them: to dig in, never quit, never give up, push past their limits, work as a team, raise others up, and be the best version of themselves for a greater cause. The list of notable military achievements should include white men, but it should not exclude women and people of color. But that erasure is exactly what’s occurring right now.

When last month Trump and Hegseth ordered the removal from Command of Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s 1st female Chief as well as the Joint Chief’s Chairman Gen CQ Brown, who is african-american, and the top Coast Guard officer Admiral Linda Fagen, all with reasons that pointed to being female or black, they sent a clear message that only white men will hold power in Trump’s military.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs were not something that gave people a leg up. They were not affirmative action. They were programs designed to protect women and minorities from exactly what Hegseth and Trump are doing—removing people from positions of power BECAUSE they are female or non-white. Those DEI initiatives, what we called Equal Opportunity (EO) allowed me to fight back with protections when I faced discrimination. They gave me the power and support from the good guys to stop men like Hegseth and Trump from erasing me. To put it simply, those protections let me just do my job.

And doing our jobs without roadblocks, without extra hurdles, without someone sticking a boot in our crotches or telling us to get out we are not wanted is all that we ever asked for. And I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again and again until it’s heard: Women and minorities cannot fight harder for equality. We cannot be any stronger, fitter, or smarter. We are already more than enough. We cannot burn down the institutions that restrict us from power. Only men can do that. In my own experiences, I saw black men first (and then later white men) come forward to counter white men who were blocking my path. Now, only white men hold the power to stop other white men–so the question is, who has the strength and integrity to stand up, speak out, and stop them? The whole world is waiting.