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A day after Axios first reported that articles highlighting the Navajo Code Talkers had been removed from Department of Defense websites following President Donald Trump’s executive order to end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, a Department of Defense spokesperson said they will be restored.

“The department is restoring content about the Navajo Code Talkers,� the email statement said on Tuesday afternoon. “It had previously been removed during the auto removal process.�

One such page, titled was still offline as of 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with DEI included within the page's URL.

The removal of the pages from the Department of Defense’s website was addressed by Coconino County District 5 Supervisor Lena Fowler and county Board of Supervisors Chair and District 4 Supervisor Judy Begay early during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled board meeting.

“I was very surprised and very disappointed to learn that the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army has scrubbed articles on the Navajo Code Talkers and their contribution to America’s victory during World War II, removing information from websites as part of President Donald Trump’s campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion,� Fowler, a member of the Navajo Nation, said to begin her statement.

Looking back on the history of the Navajo Code Talkers, Fowler detailed the code’s use -- which was never broken -- in the Pacific during World War II, the code remaining classified until 1968 and the eventual awarding of gold and silver medals to all of those who participated in the secret program by President George W. Bush in July 2001.

“Regardless of circumstances, regardless of history, they came forward to serve America,� Fowler read from Bush’s speech during the 2001 ceremony. “The Navajo code itself provides a part of the reason. Late in his life, Albert Smith explained, the code word for America was, 'Our Mother.' Our Mother stood for freedom, our religion, our ways of life, and that's why we went in.�

To conclude her statement, Fowler stood, joined by all of those in attendance at the meeting, and said she stands with and honors the Navajo Code Talkers as the history of their efforts could not be erased.

Begay thanked Fowler for bringing attention to the subject and noted that many will have to endure cuts moving forward, whether it be to programs or funding, but that the Indigenous population of the United States has already suffered much throughout history.

“As Native Americans, especially Navajos, we have endured a lot,� Begay said. “We’ve endured The Long Walk, where a lot of people died. They were killed. They couldn’t make it and died along the way."

Begay added: “I just want to say that we did, we will and we can persevere."

Multiple media outlets cited Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot’s statement in response to the pages being removed, noting his appreciation for the removal in compliance with the DEI order.

"As Secretary (Pete) Hegseth has said, DEI is dead at the Defense Department,� the statement by Ullyot read. “We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms."

Following the deaths of 98-year-old Samuel Sandoval in August 2022 and 107-year-old John Kinsel Sr. in October 2024, the last two living code talkers are Thomas H. Begay and Peter MacDonald.

The explanation didn’t sit well with Peter MacDonald, 96, one of just two surviving Code Talkers and a former Navajo Nation chairman. He objected to any implication that celebrating heroes who helped to win World War II equates with “diversity, equity and inclusion.�

“Some of these people who are taking the pictures or stories off their shelves are either racist or they have absolutely no understanding of what DEI stands for,� MacDonald . “You’re not only erasing Navajo culture but you’re also eliminating Navajo code.�

“This is shameful,� Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, a Marine combat veteran, posted on X. “Trump can’t erase history just because he feels like it.�

MacDonald, who lives in Tuba City, enlisted in the Marines at age 15 and also deployed in the South Pacific. He served as chairman of the Navajo Nation from 1971 to 1983 and from 1987 to 1991, according to his biography.

“This has nothing to do with DEI. Code is a weapon, and that weapon helped us win the war,� he said.

Crystalyne Curley, speaker of the Navajo Nation Council, called the Code Talkers� legacy “a cornerstone of American history.�

“Erasing their extraordinary contributions from formal military history is not only disrespectful, it is dishonorable,� she said in a statement before the Pentagon said it would restore the material.