By: Bryon L. Garner, PhD
Another Betrayal of Black Veterans
The recent scrubbing of Black, Hispanic, and women veterans’ history from Arlington National Cemetery’s website represents yet another betrayal of those who sacrificed for our nation—a betrayal that compounds the moral injury already disproportionately experienced by veterans of color. As Arlington officials remove pages highlighting the contributions of minority service members and even Medal of Honor recipients, they send a devastating message to those of us who already struggle with the psychological weight of military service. This erasure constitutes more than a bureaucratic action; it represents another moral injury for veterans whose service and sacrifice are increasingly rendered invisible in our national narrative.
When Official Erasure Compounds Moral Injury
Nine years ago, I lay in a hospital bed at the La Jolla VA Medical Center contemplating suicide—a Black veteran grappling with the profound disconnect between my military service and the systemic inequalities that persisted despite that service. What saved my life then wasn’t just clinical intervention but culturally responsive care from providers who recognized both my military service and my identity as a Black man. Today, as I witness the systematic removal of Black veterans’ histories from our nation’s most hallowed ground, I recognize this erasure as yet another form of the moral injury that nearly claimed my life.
According to a recent Task & Purpose investigation, Arlington National Cemetery has systematically removed or hidden webpages highlighting the graves and histories of prominent Black, Hispanic, and female service members buried in the cemetery. This purge includes educational materials about figures like Colin Powell, Thurgood Marshall, and the Buffalo Soldiers, along with lesson plans that teachers nationwide used to educate students about the diverse contributions to our military. Cemetery officials confirmed this was done to comply with orders from the Trump administration and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth targeting race and gender-related language in the military.
The scope of this erasure is breathtaking. Gone are the “Notable Graves” lists for African American, Hispanic, and women service members, while similar lists for politicians, athletes, and even foreign nationals remain prominently displayed. Removed are lesson plans about Freedman’s Village—a community of formerly enslaved African Americans established on Arlington property in 1863—and the graves of Medal of Honor recipients, including those like Lt. Vernon Baker, whose Distinguished Service Cross was upgraded to the Medal of Honor only after a 1997 review found his award had been denied due to racial bias.
This purge represents more than the deletion of webpages; it constitutes an active erasure of historical truth and a deliberate denial of the contributions made by veterans of color. For Black veterans already experiencing disproportionate rates of moral injury, this erasure represents yet another betrayal by the institutions we served.
The Compounding Effects of Institutional Betrayal
Moral injury—the psychological, social, and spiritual impact of witnessing or participating in events that violate one’s core moral beliefs—occurs when there has been a betrayal of “what’s right” by a person in authority or in high-stakes situations. For Black veterans, whose service often occurred within systems marked by racism and discrimination, the potential for moral injury is already heightened. Research demonstrates that ethnic/racial minority veterans are more susceptible to moral injury, with unique descriptions of racism and discrimination representing violations of trust that add dimension to how betrayal is experienced within moral injury for ethnic/racial minority veterans.
Now, the very institution charged with honoring military service is actively erasing the contributions of Black, Hispanic, and women veterans. This betrayal can only deepen the moral wounds already carried by many veterans of color. As one civil war historian noted regarding Arlington’s purge, “this is a shit show”. This characterization aptly captures the chaotic and harmful approach to implementing misguided policies that devalue the contributions of minority service members.
The statistics illuminate how this betrayal compounds existing disparities. Black veterans already screen positive for lifetime PTSD at higher rates than white veterans (16.7% vs. 11.1%) and current PTSD (10.1% vs. 5.9%). Despite these higher rates, Black veterans have been denied VA health benefits for PTSD more often than white veterans and are less likely to be granted service connection for PTSD. When we erase the historical contributions of Black veterans, we further invalidate their experiences and reinforce the systemic inequities that contribute to these disparities.
The Lived Experience of Erasure
In 2016, when I was hospitalized at La Jolla VA, what made the difference in my survival wasn’t just clinical intervention but genuine human connection from providers who saw both my military service and my identity as a Black man as integral parts of my experience. This culturally responsive care created a space where my full identity as a Black veteran could be acknowledged and honored.
The Arlington Cemetery purge does the opposite—it creates a narrative where only certain veterans’ experiences are deemed worthy of recognition and remembrance. This sends a devastating message to veterans of color: that their service, their sacrifices, and even their final resting places are somehow less worthy of acknowledgment and honor.
As veteran Walidah Bennett, who founded the Multi-Faith Veterans Initiative after losing her son to suicide, noted: “What we don’t talk about is the moral injury. That is what many veterans carry and that oftentimes is what leads them to take their own lives”. The erasure of Black veterans’ histories from Arlington’s website represents a new moral injury—a betrayal of the promise that all who serve will be honored equally in death, regardless of race or gender.
The Path Forward: Restoring Recognition and Trust
The purging of Arlington’s website occurs against the backdrop of the veteran suicide crisis that claims approximately 18 veterans’ lives daily. For Black veterans already navigating systems that provide uneven care and recognition, this erasure represents another burden to bear—another reason to question whether their service is truly valued by the nation they served.
Emmanuel “Manny” Johnson, chairman of the Black Veterans Coalition, articulates this challenge: “It’s difficult to sit across from somebody who doesn’t understand your experiences prior to the service, as well your experiences as an African American service member in the service, and try to talk to them about the disability claims that you have”. When we erase the history of Black military service from our most hallowed ground, we further complicate this already challenging dynamic.
Arlington officials claim the pages were simply “unpublished” for review and will eventually return, but they provide no timeline. This explanation rings hollow when pages about politicians and athletes remain untouched while the histories of Medal of Honor recipients and pioneering Black service members are hidden from view. The selective nature of this purge reveals its true intent: to minimize the visibility of diverse military contributions in service of a political agenda.
To address this new moral injury, Arlington must immediately restore these pages and the Department of Defense must recommit to honoring the full diversity of military service. Congress must exercise oversight to ensure that political ideologies do not erase historical truths about who has served and sacrificed. Most importantly, mental health providers and VA officials must recognize that this institutional erasure can trigger or compound moral injury for veterans of color, requiring culturally responsive care that acknowledges both military service and racial identity.
The Moral Imperative of Memory
Nine years after my hospitalization, I reflect on both how far we’ve come and how far we still need to go. The statistics on veteran suicide, particularly among Black veterans, remain deeply troubling. Yet we risk making this crisis worse when we erase the stories and contributions of veterans of color from our national narrative.
As a society, we must demand better for those who served. This means adequate funding for VA services, culturally competent training for providers, and elimination of the disparities that continue to impact Black veterans seeking care. It also means resisting the erasure of diverse military contributions and insisting that our historical narratives reflect the whole truth of who has served and sacrificed.
The crisis of veteran suicide is not inevitable, and neither is the moral injury caused by institutional betrayal and erasure. With proper resources, cultural understanding, commitment to equity, and unflinching historical truth, we can create a system that truly honors the service of all veterans. As someone who has walked this path, I believe we owe nothing less to those willing to give everything for their country—regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender.