The Air Force has restored content relating to the career and accomplishments of retired Col. Nicole Malachowski a few days after its erasure caused viral backlash. It's also promising to be more careful in its compliance with a Pentagon directive to remove content relating to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. “The U.S. Air Force salutes Col. Malachowski’s service as a leader, warfighter and pilot," the statement said in a statement to 9News in Denver. "We continue to review all content under our purview to comply with Defense Department directives while honoring our history.” There was, however, one change to the content and it might have been what started the purge in the first place.
What we have here is a bunch of mindless followers doing the bidding of a political directive without question. History is getting scrubbed. not by enemies, but by our own.
They erased pioneers like the WASPs, Tuskegee Airmen, and Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt because some algorithm flagged “DEI” as dangerous. That’s not leadership. That’s blind obedience. And it’s damn disgraceful.
Restoring one page while the rest stay buried isn’t fixing the problem. It’s hiding it better.
Meanwhile, research of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) - defined by U.S. Veteran’s Affairs as “sexual assault or sexual harassment experienced during military service” – that is known to impact between 20% and 45% of serving personnel, unfortunately still remains inaccessible from being buried under the evidentiary weight of stacks and folders of harmful DEI dangers.
Ten Hut!
Had DEI never existed in the first place Colonel Malachowski’s accomplishments never would have been touched. It never would have been an issue. DEI created its own problem. Ironic isn’t it.
Go to Thunderbirds - U.S. Air Force site today and let me know if you see any differences. It’s the same as last week. Seriously. At least have a look.
Mindless means someone who accepts garbage as real without stopping to evaluate it.
MuffinMan, The joke is that it was never on the Thunderbird site to begin with (the official site that anyone would first go to to look). What was “removed” was a letter from Airman 1st Class Alexander W. Riedel that was posted in 2013 on the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base site. NO ONE would go to that obscure site as a starting point on Thunderbirds; past or present.
Since that article from that obscure site was replicated countless times, who cares if the original post at that truly obscure site was taken down? Geez, if your starting point is Google for “A life in flight for first woman ‘Thunderbirds’ pilot” then the article on that one site would not even be in the top hits if you are looking for this information; thousands of others would be ahead of it.
She finished her airshow tour in 2007, but this article (that started with “DEI”) wasn’t written until 2013. The article was only posted originally as a DEI success story. Looking back, to find one for the narrative. If she were considered to be just another pilot, there would be no special mention. Are all other pilot’s bios posted as an homage to their historic accomplishment? Will the first black thunderbird pilot need a write-up? The first female black thunderbird pilot? The first mother juggling family and career to become a thunderbird pilot? Just how granular are we going to make this identity magnification? Where does it stop?
In the military, they wear a uniform. because all are the same in the eyes of the service. A single, cohesive force: UNIFORM.
If there are bio pages, there should be one for every pilot. None of them should focus upon the sex of the person, but their merit alone.
“They erased pioneers like the WASPs, Tuskegee Airmen, and Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt because some algorithm flagged “DEI” as dangerous. That’s not leadership. That’s blind obedience. And it’s damn disgraceful.”
Raf … you’re usually pretty good at providing references. Show us all exactly where “they” erased each of the above folks/entities. DEI didn’t exist in the time of WASPs, Red Tails or Gen. Leavitt. And, describe exactly where an ‘algorithm’ was used to erase references to same in each case.
Most of us have no problem with a female pilot or anyone rising – via a meritocracy – to a vaulted position of excellence or whatever. It’s when they’re given an extra consideration over and above others that we have a major issue with it. DEI is just another more modern way to shove affirmative action down everyone’s throats IMHO. The ATC aspirants who graduated from approved schools but were passed over to give DEI considerations that resulted in a lawsuit would be an example.
We all know you’re a big believer in DEI. Many of us are not. Your dislike for the current Administration is starting to show in your writing. Affirmative action, court cases and DEI HAD a place to right previous wrongs and level the playing field; anymore … not so much. Now, that pendulum is going too far in the wrong way. The ONLY time people are “equal” is when they pop out of the womb. After that, it’s up to them to be better or worse than the next person. DEI seeks to keep people equal and WE don’t like it. They ain’t. Just like some people get rich and others have a problem making their bills.
C’mon people. She wasn’t picked by the Air Force to be a Thunderbird pilot. Heck, she wasn’t picked by the Air Force at all. She was chosen after very thorough interviews with the team and after flying with them. They apparently liked her and she was a good stick.
A tempest in a teapot vigorously stirred by the same group of posters.
The Air-force, Pentagon, and the Emperor in chief have not, and will not repent. They simply got caught and are doing minimal damage control because there was a VIROL backlash. They do not nor did not “review” anything. The previous administration was proud of their political correct DEI initiatives to appease their voting base and the Pentagon in blind obedience complied. Now there is a new Sherrif in town whose policy is to entirely reverse the previous DEI directive that is now politically incorrect by dropping the letters DEI contained in the original title. That original title of this bio “DEI_A Life in Flight for the First Woman Thunderbird Pilot”, to me, is an insult. Likewise, the slightly cleaned up version title A Life in Flight for the First Woman Thunderbird Pilot is still obnoxious. The Pentagon cares less about her accomplishments as a top notch combat and demo pilot whose abilities allowed her to qualify and fly with the Air Force elite as member of the Thunderbird team. References to her gender should not be the headline for her participation as a Thunderbird. All they are concerned about is blind obedience to the dictates of the current Emperor in chief. Remove three letters saying DEI so the algorithm does not pick up a now politically incorrect connotation is their” review”. She was and probably still is a top notch pilot who just happens to be female. While a notable accomplishment in her tenacity combined with exceptional skill to be the first woman member of the Thunderbird team, the focus appears to be her gender first by both administrations with her abilities second. And the Pentagon, in blind obedience to their puppet masters, did and continues to do likewise. Respectful, thoughtful, critical thinking is virtually non-existent being replaced by AI led algorithms being “efficient “ in blind obedience to the doctrines promulgated by regime change every four to eight years. Today, that is called leadership.
Nobody said DEI existed in the time of the WASPs or the Tuskegee Airmen. The issue is that today, stories like theirs, and Col. Malachowski’s, got flagged and hidden because they were labeled as “diversity.” That’s not merit-based editing. That’s political scrubbing.
You got your shot in the Air Force as a white young man with limited means. You earned your way, made rank, no favors, and after a long career you retired. I remember you telling the story. DEI is about making sure others get that same fair shot, especially those who’ve faced far worse odds. It doesn’t hand out medals, it removes barriers that shouldn’t have been there to begin with.
As for the algorithm–think of it like a filter. It scans every page and pulls anything with words like “DEI,” no matter the context. That’s how Malachowski’s story disappeared. No human judgment, a mindless keyword tripwire triggered by a political directive. And yes, that’s real. The Air Force and Navy confirmed they’re using these methods to follow orders from above.
And Larry, I won’t apologize for my politics. I believe history matters. I believe access matters. And I sure as hell won’t stay quiet while real stories of earned merit get erased by software and spin just because they were labeled as “diverse.”
You want fairness? So do I. That’s exactly why DEI matters. Love you, man!