General Colin Powell Is Buried in Arlington National Cemetery — DEI Changes Have Affected That

In March 1998, the Arlington National Cemetery Burial Eligibility Act was passed. It stipulated that members of the Armed Forces who die on active duty, retired members, and certain veterans and family members can be buried there. There are only two United States Presidents interred at this cemetery: William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy. It is an honor to be laid to rest at Arlington, and one that those who have served do not take lightly.

One if its more notable graves is that of General Colin Powell. At the age of 52, he became the youngest Black man to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After he retired from the military in 1993, the former general served as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush. He received numerous awards throughout his career and was buried in Arlington in 2021. Due to President Donald Trump's DEI executive order, some think Pete Hegseth removed him from the cemetery's website.

While General Powell's bio and plot location information are still on the Arlington National Cemetery website, an update was made on March 19, 2025. "Arlington National Cemetery is actively working to update our website and Education Program content in compliance with executive orders issued by the president and Department of Defense instructions," it reads. "We want to clarify that no service members have been permanently removed from the 'Notable Graves' section of our website."

Previously, the Arlington website had subcategories within the "Notable Graves" section such as "African American History," "Hispanic American History," and "Women’s History." General Powell's information was under the "African American History" category. The individuals in these sections will be shifted into "'Prominent Military Figures,' 'Politics and Government,' or 'Science, Technology and Engineering' based on the person’s historical contributions to our nation." Those are just a few examples.

According to Military.com, the history of the Navajo Code Talkers was briefly removed from the Department of Defense website in accordance with President Trump's anti-DEI initiatives. During World War II, 29 Navajo men were recruited by the U.S. Marine Corps to develop a code based on the unwritten Navajo language. They came up with a glossary of 200 words that were then expanded into an alphabet.

These men "participated in all assaults the Marines led in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945 and are credited with helping the U.S. win the war," explained the website. Peter MacDonald and Thomas H. Begay are the last two living Code Talkers. Upon learning of the removal from the DOD's website, Peter said, "That code became a very valuable weapon and not only saved hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but it also helped win the war in the Pacific." He added, "It has absolutely nothing to do with DEI."

White House officials told the Navajo Nation that the incident occurred after an artificial intelligence-powered automated review process removed anything containing the word "Navajo." Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren sent a letter to the Defense Department requesting more information and was pleased by the resolution.