SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Loved ones of a decorated veteran buried at Arlington National Cemetery are raising concerns amid reports that the cemetery has begun removing some online content related to Black, female and Hispanic service members.
Among the affected content is information about Allie Harshaw, the first Black female Air Force master sergeant to retire with 30 years of service. Harshaw, who passed away in 2013, is buried at Arlington.
"Allie, she was just fearless," said Karen Massie. Her late husband was Harshaw’s nephew.
"She absolutely loved the military, loved serving her country,” said Massie.
During World War II, Harshaw was a member of the historic 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black female unit deployed overseas. The unit was tasked with solving a mail backlog and processing and delivering mail to troops.
"She was proud of that fact. They gave them six months to do the job. They did it in three months," Massie said.
Years later, while based at March Air Force Base, Harshaw obtained a Ph.D. in human behavior at the U.S. International University, which later merged into Alliant International University.
More than a decade after her death, a movie titled "The Six Triple Eight" depicted Harshaw's battalion's service. Mentions of her service were prevalent on the Arlington National Cemetery website but are now less so.
"It's sad, just really sad," Massie said. "It's the feeling that people are trying to make us feel ‘other.’ That celebrating your culture, that there's something wrong with that."
According to the Washington Post, links to webpages listing notable graves of Black, Hispanic and female veterans were taken down amid President Trump's executive order to remove all mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion.
On the Arlington National Cemetery website, searches for Allie Harshaw yield four results. Two of the links are still working, including a link to a section on the 6888th Battalion. Two links with reference to Harshaw’s service, including sections of African-American veterans and women veterans, have been taken down.
"Just means fewer role models. It's sad people are trying to erase history; you can't erase us," Massie said. “What’s wrong with telling the truth?”
The cemetery could put some of the scrubbed content back on the site if it complies with the diversity, equity and inclusion removal policy, according to reports.
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