With the advent of the Trump Administration, wokeness in general and DEI in particular are being eradicated, not only in the federal government but in schools and universities across the country. Seeing the trend, and the damage to profitability, businesses across the nation are also eliminating policies and personnel that less than a year ago were said to be essential elements to business success and a just society. It turns out they weren’t all that essential after all.
Still, DEI and its gravy train-riding, low-producing adherents, aren’t going away quietly or easily. Many organizations in the private sector and in government merely pretend to do away with DEI and its berserk policies. They keep the same personnel but rebrand their departments. Bureaus of “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” become departments of “Community Engagement.” DEI true believers in those rebranded organizations keep a low profile while still subverting merit and accountability.
That might have worked in any other administration, but the Trump Administration knows what’s happening and is relentlessly removing those elements. The DEI gravy train is coming to a halt.
Nowhere has that progress been more obvious than in the Department of Defense, soon to be rebranded the War Department. Secretary Pete Hegseth is ferreting out DEI everywhere, forcing our military to once again focus on destroying our enemies as quickly, violently and ruthlessly as possible, which before the Obama years was more or less universally understood to be the military’s sole function. It’s taking time, but when Hegseth is made aware of woke lunacy, including trans pandering, he acts—fast.
Graphic: X Post
This week, one such figure found herself in the spotlight. The LinkedIn page of U.S. Navy Commander Janelle Marra went viral on X.
Marra’s page featured the background of a “pride”/transgender flag.
Her profile also listed her pronouns as “She/Her.”
The professional summary read: “Deputy Medical Director for Transgender Healthcare.”
In her own words, Marra wrote:
“Leadership and mentorship are the cornerstones of my current roles, where I have the privilege of leading a diverse and geographically separated team working towards a ready medical force to provide expeditionary medical care. My passion for compassionate healthcare is reflected in my focus on Women’s and LGBT + health, ensuring inclusive and holistic care for all service members.”
In an early May address, Hegseth made his, and President Trump’s, priorities clear:
During the keynote address, Hegseth declared the military and Trump administration were now leaving “wokeness and weakness” behind.
Hegseth proudly declared there will be “no more pronouns” or climate change obsession, “no more vaccine mandates” or “dudes in dresses”.
“We’re done with that shit,” Hegseth said.
Within hours of the Libs of TikTok post on Commander Marra, Hegseth posted this concise reply:
Graphic: X Post
We don’t know whether Marra was drummed out of the military or simply reassigned. We also don’t know whether Marra’s superiors were disciplined for failing to comply with President Trump’s Executive Order #14183, which was upheld by the Supreme Court:
“The United States military has a clear mission: to protect the American people and our homeland as the world’s most lethal and effective fighting force. Success in this existential mission requires a singular focus on developing the requisite warrior ethos, and the pursuit of military excellence cannot be diluted to accommodate political agendas or other ideologies harmful to unit cohesion.”
“Recently, however, the Armed Forces have been afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists unconcerned with the requirements of military service like physical and mental health, selflessness, and unit cohesion. Longstanding Department of Defense (DoD) policy (DoD Instruction (DoDI) 6130.03) provides that it is the policy of the DoD to ensure that service members are “[f]ree of medical conditions or physical defects that may reasonably be expected to require excessive time lost from duty for necessary treatment or hospitalization.” As a result, many mental and physical health conditions are incompatible with active duty, from conditions that require substantial medication or medical treatment to bipolar and related disorders, eating disorders, suicidality, and prior psychiatric hospitalization.”
However, one thing is clear: our military once again has a single, focused mission. There’s no room for trans, climate change, or any other leftist social priority. Service members unwilling to obey the lawful orders of the Commander in Chief and Secretary of War aren’t going to be coddled. And war fighting is not only the most important thing; it’s becoming the only thing.
And it’s about time.
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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.