An article dedicated to baseball legend Jackie Robinson’s accomplishments and background serving in the U.S. military has been taken down from the Department of Defense website.
A page titled ‘Sports Heroes Who Served: Baseball Great Jackie Robinson Was WWII Soldier,’ now shows a 404 error page but can still be reviewed with the internet archive service the Wayback Machine.
The broken webpage comes as President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to squash diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Mentions of the transgender community and other Black historical figures have also been taken down from some government websites. Army Maj. Gen. Charles Gavin Rogers’s Medal of Honor website page was temporarily updated with ‘DEImedal’ in the URL, taken down, and then restored. Native American soldier Ira Hayes was memorialized on the Defense website as one of the six flag raisers in an iconic World War II photo, but the page now shows a 404 error message.
Robinson’s deactivated article outlined his athletic achievements through high school and college, his services in the military in World War II, and his legacy as the first Black baseball player in modern Major League Baseball.
Jackie Robinson’s WWII history no longer visible on Defense website
A Defense spokesperson said Wednesday, ‘Thank you for flagging,’ and said they would look into it. The Jackie Robinson Foundation did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s inquiry on the matter.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has acted on Trump’s anti-DEI directives, posting a note that read ‘DoD ≠ DEI…no exceptions, name-changes, or delays. Those who do not comply will no longer work here.’
The article was part of a series by DoD News that ‘highlights the accomplishments of athletes who served in the U.S. military.’ Other articles in the series cover Dan Bankhead, the first Black pitcher in MLB, Eddie Robinson, and NFL Hall of Famer Kevin Green, all of which were still active on the website as of Wednesday morning.
Robinson was drafted and assigned to a segregated Army cavalry unit in Kansas in 1942, according to the deactivated Defense page. He was later assigned to Fort Hood, Texas where he joined the 761st ‘Black Panthers’ tank battalion.
In 1944, he refused to move to the back of an Army bus, resulting in his arrest and eventual acquittal. He then served as a coach with Army athletics for a few months before receiving an honorable discharge, the news article states.
Over the next few years, he would be called into the major leagues where he became an all-star champion several times over, Rookie of the Year and a World Series Champion, the article states.
This story has been updated with new information.
Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
