A spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force had said the initial decision to erase the information followed President Trump’s directives.
MONUMENT, Colo. — Days after 9NEWS reported that the U.S. Air Force had removed certain articles about a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and the first female Thunderbird pilot from military websites, the webpages have been restored.
The Air Force had said the articles were taken down in compliance with the Trump administration’s directives to eliminate content related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
On Friday, the Air Force confirmed that digital content related to the career of retired Col. Nicole Malachowski is being restored across all Air Force platforms.
“The U.S. Air Force salutes Col. Malachowski’s service as a leader, warfighter and pilot,” the statement said in part. “We continue to review all content under our purview to comply with Defense Department directives while honoring our history.”
Malachowski, who served 21 years in the Air Force and became the first woman to fly with the elite Thunderbirds demonstration team, discovered that some articles documenting her historic achievements had disappeared from official military websites.
“When you click on that link, it’ll literally say ‘404 page not found,'” Malachowski said.
Stories with headlines such as “A life in flight for first woman ‘Thunderbirds’ pilot” that were previously available on military websites were made inaccessible on both the Air Force and Marine Corps websites. While many stories about Malachowski are still on military websites, some were taken down.
Air Force public affairs representatives from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, where Malachowski was a former commander of the 333rd Fighter Squadron, confirmed to 9NEWS that the articles were removed as part of compliance with presidential directives targeting DEI content.
“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,” Malachowski said.
The restored webpage had a change from the previous webpage that was taken down: The phrase “DEI” was removed.
The retired colonel, who flew F-15E Strike Eagles in three operational fighter squadrons and commanded a fighter squadron during her career, noted that other female aviators have experienced similar erasure of their stories from official platforms.
“There was indeed a time when women and minorities could not serve in our military,” Malachowski said. “There was indeed a time when women and minorities could not fly aircraft in defense of their country. For us to act like those barriers never happened or those barriers were never broken, is to completely ignore our history.”
The removal of these articles appears to be part of a broader effort by the administration to purge content deemed related to DEI initiatives from government websites, a move that has been reported across multiple federal agencies.
Malachowski characterized the censorship as “un-American” and damaging to national values.
“It’s not about one article or one group’s story being erased,” she said. “It’s about censorship, and censorship is a slippery slope that our country cannot go down.”
For Malachowski, who served in combat during her military career, the removal of these historical records feels particularly personal.
“I can’t believe that something like this is happening in the country whose uniform I wore,” she said.
She emphasized the importance of military history accurately reflecting all who have served.
“We need our military to reflect the America that it represents,” Malachowski said. “That includes countless women and minorities who’ve served. For us to turn around and say you’re good enough to serve but not good enough to be remembered is a complete slap in the face.”