Sorry Tuskegee Airmen and WASPs – Only White Men Won WWII

White Male Supremacist Pete Hegseth is wasting no time imposing a chest thumping ‘White Males Rule’ and always has agenda. I was sick inside when I learned what Hegseth has ordered. Then ANGRY. Orders have gone out to REMOVE references to the iconic Tuskegee Airmen and also WASPS from the history training curriculums for U.S. Armed Forces.

Starting it seems in basic training but apparently the order is to stop ALL of it.  What’s next?  Hell, Trump made a fool of himself during his first administration when he had some of the Navajo Code Talkers at the White House!

Newsweek has an article that gives a good account of this despicable action on the part of this new administration.  It only takes a few minutes to read and I promise you it’s worth the time as it includes some early reaction to this outrage. But the basics as of now are this – both the Tuskegee Airmen and the WASPS played vital roles in helping us win WWII.

They had to fight every step of the way to be able even render their service, and afterwards to get recognition for it. Now, I can only imagine Hegseth’s glee over getting to carry out the order to erase their contributions from military history:

The training course videos, previously shown to troops during basic military training, were removed after an internal review of DEI-related material. According to the AP, the U.S. Air Force confirmed the decision in a statement on Saturday and said it “will fully execute and implement all directives outlined in the Executive Orders issued by the President, ensuring that they are carried out with utmost professionalism, efficiency and in alignment with national security objectives.”

What the hell does erasing the contributions of groups like this from military history courses our troops get have to do with national security? I was a jarhead grunt and just like my grunt counterparts in the Army one thing I wanted to know was that I could count on others in my unit. Regardless of their color or now even gender. 

Does anyone for one second think that if Hegseth had been wounded overseas and called in his own medivac he’d have refused the ride if Tammy Duckworth had been flying his “dust off?” I rather doubt that her being non-white (of Hawaiian descent) and a woman would have mattered much! 

My point is that units are stronger when the troops know that things like race, religion, gender and other traits don’t matter. That regardless of such factors EVERYONE is capable of strengthening the unit. The PROBLEM is that even now so many are raised to believe that’s not the case.  Hence educating them.

I never knew jack about the Navajo Code talkers before my Senior Drill Instructor talked to us before marching us to a class where we’d learn about them. And he gave us another talk later on.

Again I urge you to read the linked article. However just so you know here’s what these people Trump and Hegseth want to dishonor, to ERASE from our history did:

The Tuskegee Airmen, also known as the “Red Tails,” were the nation’s first Black military pilots, serving in a segregated unit during World War II. The 332nd Fighter Group, their combat wing, achieved one of the lowest loss records among bomber escort squadrons, flying missions deep into Nazi-controlled Europe. Piloting aircraft like the P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang, they played a key role in protecting American bombers from devastating losses to enemy fighters.

In 2007, President George W. Bush awarded the group the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation’s highest honors. In 2020, during his State of the Union address, Trump posthumously promoted Brigadier General Charles McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. McGee, who flew 409 combat missions across World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, passed away in 2022 at age 102.

Meanwhile, the WASP, were the first women to fly for the U.S. military, and played a vital role in World War II aviation. They ferried newly built bombers from U.S. factories to military bases across the country, freeing up male pilots for combat operations overseas. Despite their service, the WASP fought for decades to receive military honors, only securing the right to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in recent years.

Trump started breaking promises on Day 1. No end to the war in Ukraine. No reduction in food prices. It was a week of excuses about the issues that he touted during the campaign that got just enough independent voters suckered to vote for him. However when it comes to the Culture War stuff, the White Nationalism and now as we see a nod to his White Power boyz he hit the ground running.

The border has been pretty quiet for some time with crossings down significantly. So Trump decided to get people there – in the form of our troops. Army and Marine units to repel an “invasion” that doesn’t exist. But hey, it looks good. Another issue has been a lot of not just ‘Meal Team Six’ but other white males who have long been butt-hurt over not being automatically being viewed by everyone as the pinnacle of evolution.

Tens of millions of white conservatives who just can’t STAND the notion that being strong and yet being considerate, including to women and minorities is even possible. Much less something they should try to do.  Nope, Hegseth is the poster boy (which Kavanaugh probably appreciates) for privileged white guys with top educations and pedigrees ‘failing upward.’

AND while doing so being boorish assholes. Who put down non-white people. Who sexually harass and even assault/rape women. Who believe they are ENTITLED to be the only people considered worthwhile and/or for any decent job.

For damned sure they want everyone to believe that the ONLY worthwhile things that have ever been done have been done by WHITE MEN.  I long ago grew sick and tired of these whiny-assed snowflake conservatives complaining about ‘Cancel Culture.’ Once again we see what a bunch of f**king hypocrites they are!