The US Department of Defense has restored a story about Jackie Robinson’s Army history after it was unexpectedly removed from its website on Tuesday night. The webpage was scrubbed with the phrase “dei” added to the URL, indicating it was taken down as part of President Trump’s administration’s efforts to remove diversity and inclusion programs.
However, in a series of statements released by the Department’s press secretary John Ullyot, the department acknowledged Robinson’s military service and stated that the removed content would be corrected. The term “dei” is no longer present in the URL after the story was restored online.
The removal of the webpage followed similar incidents involving other historical figures, including Navajo Code Talkers, a Black Medal of Honor recipient, and Japanese American veterans. The Department of Defense said the removals were errors on the part of automated processes, which would be corrected.
Robinson’s story details his life before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, including the incident in 1944 where he was court-martialed for refusing to move to the back of an Army bus. He went on to have a successful baseball career, breaking the color barrier and winning numerous awards, including a Rookie of the Year Award and a World Series title.
The MLB has confirmed that it is aware of the incident and is investigating it. The league had previously stated its support for Robinson’s legacy, with his No. 42 being retired across all MLB teams in 1997.
Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/jackie-robinson-article-on-mlb-legends-army-history-restored-to-department-of-defense-website-after-removal-044150279.html