Air Force reinstates course with Tuskegee Airmen video after outcry
By Stephen Losey
Jan 27, 2025, 10:43 AM
The Air Force quickly moved to reinstate a course for new recruits, which includes videos on the World War II-era Tuskegee Airmen and Women's Airforce Service Pilots, after the class was pulled for review following the Trump administration's sweeping order barring diversity, equity and inclusion programs. (Air Force)
The Air Force is reinstating a basic training class Monday that was suspended last week for revisions, with its materials on World War II-era Black and female pilots intact but diversity, equity and inclusion components removed.
The Air Force originally halted its basic military training course on “airmindedness” on Jan. 23, days after President Donald Trump issued a sweeping order barring DEI programs from the federal government and military. That class included videos on the Tuskegee Airmen and Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, who were the first Black and female pilots, respectively, to fly for the military.
An internal message leaked online Friday indicated videos on the Tuskegee Airmen and WASPs were pulled immediately from the class to comply with Trump’s DEI orders. The Air Force clarified Saturday that the videos themselves were not targeted for removal, but that BMT classes including diversity-related materials were temporarily suspended for review.
A revised class on “airmindedness” is going into place Monday, Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, head of Air Education and Training Command, said in a Sunday statement. That class will include material on the Tuskegee and WASP pilots.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-air-force/2025/01/27/air-force-reinstates-course-with-tuskegee-airmen-video-after-outcry/
