As the Trump administration continues to implement anti-diversity policies and whitewash American history, it appears that this campaign has spread overseas. One historian on social media has highlighted the administration’s removal of a European monument honoring Black soldiers who fought in World War II.
Plaques honoring Black soldiers removed from American cemetery in the Netherlands
Newsweek, referencing coverage from Dutch-language media, reported that plaques honoring Black soldiers who fought for the United States during World War II were removed from the Netherlands American Cemetery, a U.S. military cemetery in Margraten, near the city of Maastricht. Over 8,000 Americans, including 174 Black soldiers, are buried at the site. Two panels commemorating Black soldiers were added to the cemetery in 2024 at the urging of Shefali Razdan Duggal, who served as U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands at the time. However, these panels were removed “earlier this summer,” according to the Black Liberators research project. One of the removed panels discussed the segregated conditions under which Black soldiers served during World War II; the other highlighted George H. Pruitt, who died in Germany at age 23 while attempting to rescue another soldier.
Conservative U.S. think tank complaints preceded removal
Social media user @ChrisO_wiki, self-described as an “independent military history author and researcher,” brought attention to the change on social media.
In a series of posts that have gained over 1 million views, ChrisO_wiki noted, “The US Government has quietly removed a memorial to Black soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg. The move follows a complaint from the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission.”
Dutch News confirmed that the right-wing Heritage Foundation complained earlier this year that the American Battle Monuments Commission violated President Donald Trump’s anti-diversity orders, and the commemorative plaques were subsequently removed. Most of the 15 political parties in Limburg province, where the cemetery is located, have signed a letter requesting a temporary or permanent replacement for the removed panels.
Source: U.S. Government Quietly Removes Memorial For Black Soldiers From Dutch Cemetery
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