Black Vietnam War hero Charles Rogers' page disappears from defense site

The US Department of Defense Website has removed an article on a black recipient of the Medal of Honor.

Major General Charles Rogers was awarded the country's highest military decoration for his contribution in the Vietnam war. However, the article celebrating this medal is no longer accessible on the website.

Rather, the webpage now shows an "404 - Page Not Found" message, with "DEI" being added to the URL. The page further states, “The page you are looking for might have been moved, renamed, or may be temporarily unavailable.”

Brandon Friedman, a former official in the Obama administration was one of the first users to raise the alarm over the absence of Roger's webpage. He wrote on Bluesky, “This is blood-boiling. Charles Rogers was awarded the Medal of Honor in Vietnam after being wounded three times leading the defense of a position.”

This change comes after President Donald Trump's crackdown on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI) initiatives since he took office in January. Though, the Department of Defense is yet to give a comment on the 404 error on Roger's webpage.

Who was Charles Rogers?

Charles Rogers was born in Claremont, West Virginia. He was the highest ranking Black soldier to receive the Medal of Honor. As per the West Virginia Hall of Fame, He received the award from President Nixon in 1970 for the "actions that took place near the Cambodian border on November 1, 1968."

Then a lieutenant colonel, Rogers commanded the 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery during a "desperate struggle" against North Vietnamese forces. He managed to lead counterattacks until the energy was repelled. Rogers died in 1990.