Posted on 02/03/2025 5:40:30 PM PST by Responsibility2nd
U.S. military bases around the world have celebrated Black History Month and similar cultural awareness events for decades. Now, Hegseth says 'Identity Months' are 'Dead at DoD.'
Black History Month has been a regular feature of life at Air Force bases around the world for decades. No longer.
A memo issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, headlined "Identity Months Dead at DoD," wipes Black History Month and similar celebrations off the military calendar — starting immediately.
"Our unity and purpose are instrumental to meeting the Department's warfighting mission. Efforts to divide the force — to put one group ahead of another — erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution,” Hegseth said in the memo, a directive known as a "guidance."
“Going forward, DoD Components and Military Departments will not use official resources, to include man-hours, to host celebrations or events related to cultural awareness months, including National African American/Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and National American Indian Heritage Month."
Hegseth went on: "Installations, units, and offices are encouraged to celebrate the valor and success of military heroes of all races, genders, and backgrounds as we restore our warrior culture and ethos. We are proud of our warriors and their history, but we will focus on the character of their service instead of their immutable characteristics."
Black History Month began Saturday, the day after Hegseth issued his guidance.
Joint Base San Antonio has observed Black History Month for many years. For instance, an announcement dated Feb. 1, 2023, and headlined “JBSA celebrates Black History Month” said service members “are encouraged to participate.”
“Black History Month” posters were displayed across the joint base, the nation's largest, and a Gospel Fest was held at Freedom Chapel at JBSA-Lackland. Also that month, the Rev. Trevor Alexander, a Black Army veteran and senior pastor at True Vine Church, was guest speaker at a luncheon with the theme “Inspiring Change. The 2022 movie “Devotion,” about Jesse Brown, the nation’s first Black naval aviator, was shown at Lackland.
Black History Month dates to 1976, when then-President Gerald Ford issued the first “Message on the Observance of Black History Month.” Subsequent presidents continued the tradition.
During Black History Month last year, JBSA soldiers, civilian personnel and family members gathered at the Blesse Auditorium at Fort Sam Houston to listen to jazz performances honoring Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Jimi Hendrix and other African American musical luminaries.
San Antonio’s military installations also have faithfully celebrated Women’s History Month, held in March each year under a 1987 act of Congress.
An Air Force announcement dated March 1, 2022, encouraged JBSA personnel to recognize “the unfailing bravery and grit of women in America, particularly in times of crisis and emergency.
“Women served our Nation during World War II, led organizing and litigation efforts during the Civil Rights movement, and represented the United States on the global stage in the fight for human rights, peace, and security,” the announcement said.
In 2019, the Women’s History Month observance was highlighted by a recruit training parade at Lackland featuring an all-female group of MTIs, or military training instructors. Brig. Gen. Laura L. Lenderman, then commander of the joint base, served as the reviewing official.
Lenderman, now a lieutenant general, is deputy commander of Pacific Air Forces at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.
JBSA has celebrated Pride Month each June with poster displays, guest speakers, workshops, a 5K Run for Diversity at Lackland and news releases celebrating individual gay, lesbian and transgender service members.
Hegseth’s rejection of diversity celebrations came shortly after a controversy erupted over the removal of instructional videos on the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of pioneering Black pilots, from the Air Force basic training curriculum. A video about pathbreaking female aviators was also spiked.
Two days after the San Antonio Express-News reported on the curriculum changes, Hegseth reversed the decision, saying on social media: “This will not stand.”
However, one of three videos pulled from a basic training course, titled "Breaking Barriers: The Race Barrier," was not restored to the classroom. Air Force officials said it remained under review but would not say why or whether it would ever be put back in the curriculum.
That video cites the Tuskegee Airmen as evidence that diversity strengthens the military. Of the three videos that were initially withdrawn, it is the only one in which the word "diversity" is heard, and unlike the other two, it explicitly makes the case that gender and racial diversity enhance national defense.
Trump, in his inaugural address Jan. 20, vowed to "end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life." The same day, he signed an executive order dismantling federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The next day, the new administration placed DEI officials on leave and ordered agencies to spike postings or advertisements promoting diversity.
(insert evil laughter)
Fine by me. After all, we don’t have White History Month either.
This should have never happened in the first place.
Enough of this division. Thank God.
Let’s celebrate our identity as AMERICANS instead!
As Hegseth has said, the primary focus of the DOD is lethality. About time.
All this gender and race crap has gotten out of hand.
I had a kid school me on how there is black and brown people, and how the brown people have different subdivisions.
All these managers in the past that allowed this crap to happen: WEAK.
One of the 1st things we were told in basic training in 1982 “there is no White, There is no Black, the is no Hispanic here. Here you are all GREEN”!
Highlighting differences is an obstacle to good order and discipline. It should of never been allowed in the US Military in the 1st place.
When I was in a combat arms unit I remember how upset the brothers got when one of the white guys decided he had to wear a non-uniform “doo rag”. Caused such a kerfuffle that the doo rags were banned for all thereafter.
Uniform means uniform.
Exactly, every day brings another gift.
Good ones.
We can still celebrate them here on FR if we aren’t too exhausted from Kwanza and the rest.
There is a Youtube feature with appropriate festive foods to serve.
“What is appropriate food for Black History Month?
You can enjoy notable recipes like collard greens, cornbread, baked macaroni and cheese, chicken and dressing, sweet potato pie, and banana pudding — just to name a few soul foods menu favorites. These recipes are part of the authentic soul food family.”
As late as 2001, some DIs were saying that... at least at Ft. Benning.
RE: we don’t have White History Month either.
Darn. I bought the 5 lb. Quaker Grits and the Family Size Wonder Bread and now it’s off? So, all to myself.
All that food....
https://www.pinterest.com/chrishouckcooks/white-trash-party-food-ideas/
Everyone got hoodwinked for a while. Part of the enemy plan, "Divide the united". Big media went right along with it. All that BS was meant to divide Americans based on skin color. It was all Communist horse s***, supported by indoctrinated Americans who jumped on the hate whitey, kill whitey bandwagon at their universities of deceit.
How’d I know you’d get here before me with the same meme?
GMTA
OOHRAH!!!
OOHRAH!!!
You can’t do one without them all wanting equal treatment. This is the right action. We didn’t have Black History month when I was a kid and I survived...
Good line from the movie Taxi (2004) with Queen Latifah I watched last night.
Co-star Jimmy Fallon as the cop sidekick ended up breathing nitrous oxide from open tanks and his voice went low.
“Oh, great. Now I sound like Barry White’s illegitimate white son.” Line was ad-libbed and put in the “deleted scenes.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCjiNBiEUaQ
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