Agencies WASHINGTON

Army-run Arlington National Cemetery has wiped out  from its website information and educational material about the history of black and female service members. Some of the content unpublished from the site was on veterans who had received the nation's highest military recognition, the Medal of Honor, according to military news site, Task & Purpose. The content removal is part of a larger effort by President Donald Trump to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices in the military and throughout the federal government.

Approximately 400,000 veterans are buried in the Army-run cemetery, which was established after the US Civil War at the home of the South's General, Robert E. Lee. On the cemetery's website, internal links that directs  users to web pages with information about the "Notable Graves" of dozens of black, Hispanic and female veterans, were missing on Friday.

The pages contained short biographies about veterans such as Gen Colin L Powell, the first black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is the highest rank in the military after the president. They also told the life stories of members of the Tuskegee Airmen, the country's first black military airmen.  Visitors to the site may also have trouble finding information, as links to major sections have disappeared. It no longer lists pages for African American History, Hispanic American History and Women's History.

Content still exists on some notable women buried there, including former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and 14 veterans from the unit recently featured in the Oscar-nominated movie, The Six Triple Eight, but it is only found from a direct search. Since re-entering the White House, President Donald Trump has signed multiple executive orders banning DEI within the federal government.

A spokesperson for the cemetery said in a statement it was working to restore links and content and remained "committed to sharing the stories of military service and sacrifice to the nation", according to the Washington Post. It added that it wanted to ensure that the content aligned with Trump's orders and also with instructions from Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth.