Jackie Robinson web page returns amid internet backlash, fumbled Pentagon statements

The Pentagon has had an interesting 24 hours since the internet learned it could no longer access a Department of Defense website chronicling Jackie Robinson's military service.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Tuesday that a link to the page in question — titled "Sports Heroes Who Served: Baseball Great Jackie Robinson Was WWII Soldier" — had been removed.

Less than 24 hours later, after several major media outlets picked up the story, the original URL was live again.

The intervening hours offered a deeper dive into other Department of Defense websites that were apparently purged. According to the Washington Post, the list includes articles about a Pima Indian who was one of the six Marines photographed hoisting a U.S. flag on Iwo Jima in 1945 as well as multiple stories about the Navajo Code Talkers and Japanese American veterans.

Wednesday, Passan relayed two separate statements from the Pentagon. The difference in tone was striking.

"As [Department of Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth has said, DEl is dead at the Defense Department," the first statement read. "Discriminatory Equity Ideology is a form of Woke cultural Marxism that has no place in our military. It Divides the force, Erodes unit cohesion and Interferes with the services' core warfighting mission. We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEl content from all platforms. In the rare cases that content is removed -- either deliberately or by mistake - that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct the components and they correct the content accordingly."

Let the reader decide whether the Jackie Robinson page was removed either "deliberately or by mistake." In any case, it was back online Wednesday. Twenty minutes after reporting the first statement, Passan had "an updated statement" from Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot.

"Everyone at the Defense Department loves Jackie Robinson, as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee airmen, the Marines at Iwo Jima and so many others - we salute them for their strong and in many cases heroic service to our country, full stop," the statement read. "We do not view or highlight them through the prism of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, or sex. We do so only by recognizing their patriotism and dedication to the warfighting mission like ever other American who has worn the uniform.

"DEI - Discriminatory Equity Ideology does the opposite. It Divides the force, Erodes unit cohesion and Interferes with the services' core warfighting mission. We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEl content from all platforms. In the rare cases that content is removed - either deliberately or by mistake - that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct the components and they correct the content so it recognizes our heroes for their dedicated service alongside their fellow Americans, period."

Robinson was reputed to be better at football than baseball during his college career at UCLA, though he once told reporters he "couldn't hit hard enough to force a fumble." The last 24 hours might have proven otherwise.

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