Over the weekend, a US military official said “immediate steps” were taken to remove certain teaching materials in order to “ensure compliance” with Trump’s DEI ban in the military.
Some of those materials included footage of the pioneering servicemen and women as part of DEI courses.
“Historical videos were interwoven into US Air Force and Space Force curriculum and were not the direct focus of course removal actions,” an Air Force official told CBS News, the BBC’s US news partner. “Additional details on curriculum updates will be provided when they’re available.”
Lt. Gen. Brian S. Robinson, an air education and training command commander, said in a statement that no trainees missed the lesson, but one group had their lesson delayed because of the review.
The Tuskegee Airmen were trained at a segregated air base in Alabama between 1941 and 1946. They flew hundreds of patrol and attack missions during the war, escorting American bombing crews over Europe.
Other lessons thought to be at risk included those highlighting the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, who were vital in transporting new planes bound for fighting in Europe from the factories where they were produced. Their contributions were later recognised with the right to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, which is reserved for military personnel.
“The revised training which focuses on the documented historic legacy and decorated valour with which these units and airmen fought for our nation in World War II and beyond will continue on 27 January,” Robinson said in a statement.
