Air Force Removes Content Honoring First Female Thunderbird

The U.S. Air Force has taken down online content celebrating female aviators in an effort to comply with federal directives to remove DEI material from government websites.

According to Newsweek, the purge includes numerous webpages, images, videos and biographies that spotlighted groundbreaking achievements by women in military aviation. Among the most prominent removals was content featuring retired Colonel Nicole Malachowski, a 21-year Air Force veteran and the first woman to fly with the elite Thunderbirds demonstration team.

Malachowski publicly criticized the directive, arguing that it distorts the historical record. "You're good enough to serve but not good enough to be remembered," she told 9NEWS. "It's been really just shocking to me to see that we would censor the historical fact, the historical stories, the historical contributions of service members and veterans."

Other removed content includes webpages dedicated to the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) of World War II and profiles of trailblazers like Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, the Air Force’s first female fighter pilot.

An Air Force spokesperson told Air Force Times that the branch intends to restore purely historical content after it has been reviewed to ensure compliance with current guidelines.