Funeral service for retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg

When Tarence Bailey Sr. received a formal memo from the Maryland National Guard[1] declining to support a celebration for Frederick Douglass on Saturday, it felt personal.

Not only because Bailey is a descendant of the famous abolitionist, but he is also a veteran who served for 10 years as an enlisted Guardsman with the same reserve component. Douglass' importance to the civil rights movement is well known, but he was also one of the military's most prominent recruiters[2], helping to grow the ranks of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which was one of the first Black units to fight in the Civil War.

The Maryland National Guard, along with an honorary living history unit from that same Massachusetts regiment rallied by Douglass more than 160 years ago, were ultimately barred earlier this month from participating[3] in the famous orator's birthday. Pentagon guidance under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth -- and President Donald Trump -- now orders that the military "must decline events" that celebrate "individuals based all or in part on immutable characteristics."

Read Next: USS Truman Commander Fired After Collision with Merchant Ship near Suez Canal[4]

"For them to say, you know, we're not celebrating that pretty much because he's Black, and it's Black History month -- he's a patriot," Bailey told Military.com in an interview. "He's a patriot first, and his whole family are patriots first."

Bailey's frustrations aren't unique. Those concerns have grown and are now shared by several relatives of famous Black military figures who spoke with Military.com in interviews. They fear that, due to Hegseth's directions under the guidance of Trump's executive orders, their personal family histories and their sacrifices and contributions may be taken out of public view and praise.

On the campaign trail, Trump promised to restore the names of military bases back to those of Confederate generals. Hegseth signed a memo[5] reverting Fort Liberty[6] to the name of Fort Bragg. While originally named for Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, the defense secretary instead named it for a service member with the same last name.

Trump promised to rid the military of what he deemed "woke" policies, which led Hegseth to issue the memo declaring celebrations of identity months -- such as Black History month in February -- as "dead."

Early into his tenure, Hegseth, after ordering a review of any material that may have promoted diversity, paused lessons related to the historic Tuskegee Airmen. Following public outcry, including from Republican lawmakers, the defense secretary reversed course[7] and made sure the lessons remained, although reportedly not all of the curriculum was added back[8].

Relatives of Black historic figures said the Defense Department's present efforts are aiming to sideline many of those past stories they grew up hearing about their loved ones, and they fear that it will be the military itself that will ultimately suffer by hiding those accomplishments.

The Guardsman

A bust of famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, by artist Lloyd Lillie, rests in the Senate Chamber after is was unveiled during ceremonies, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, at the Massachusetts Statehouse, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Bailey was not the first Frederick Douglass relative to serve his country. Douglass' sons enlisted in the regiment that the famous orator recruited for, and one, Lewis Henry Douglass, became one of the first Black sergeants major.

As the Guard rejects participating in the Douglass celebration, the new administration has also stepped back from events aimed at recruiting Black Americans. Military.com reported that several services, including the Army[9], Navy[10], Air Force[11] and Space Force[12], pulled out of recruiting at a Black engineering event in Baltimore earlier this month despite a yearslong relationship[13].

Hegseth and other supporters railing against diversity efforts say such policies are divisive and detract from the uniformity of the military. The defense secretary recently said "the single dumbest phrase in military history[14] is 'our diversity is our strength."

Bailey said he doesn't understand the Pentagon's logic when it comes to the decision not to celebrate Frederick Douglass.

"It's only divisive to racists because, because only racists have a problem with Black people and people of color having any type of pride or celebrating their contributions to a nation that we all enjoy," Bailey told Military.com.

Black Americans, Hispanics and other ethnic groups make up a large part of the military's ranks. In 2024, for example, non-white demographics made up 59.5% of the regular Army.

Bailey said events like the Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration planned for Saturday are opportunities for the military to be present in the community and inspire those who may be inclined to military service.

"The whole thing is asinine, because these are recruiting tools,” Bailey said. “When you have a parade, when the National Guard or big Army or the Marines or the Air Force or the Navy or even the Space Force don their uniforms[15] and go out into the community, there's always going to be a young kid that's going to get inspired and is going to say, 'I want to do that when I get grown.'"

The descendant of Douglass, one of the nation's most prolific recruiters, fears the military will lose out on some of the best and brightest as a result of that decision.

"What they're doing is destroying our military," Bailey said. "They will make us soft, as soft as baby sh--."

The Gold Star Daughter

Newman C. Golden, second from right, exits a briefing room along with his fellow Tuskegee Airmen in March 1945 in Ramitelli, Italy. Golden was shot down in 1951 during the Korean War. His body was never recovered and he was presumed dead in 1954. (Library of Congress photo)

Marilyn Beecham’s mother frequently showed her pictures of his father, as well as his service medals, in hopes of keeping his memory alive.

Her father, 1st Lt. Newman Camay Golden, was a Tuskegee Airman who was killed in action when she was just nine years old.

Golden had graduated from flight school in 1944, according to an Air Force news release about his life, and he flew the P-51 Mustang during World War II. In March 1945, during an operation, he had to eject from his plane due to a mechanical issue and was captured as a prisoner of war until the American and Allied victory.

He rejoined the fight and was ultimately shot down on Oct. 17, 1951, during the Korean War; he was officially presumed dead several years later.

When Beecham was informed about the initial Pentagon efforts to pause teaching the Tuskegee Airmen's history at Air Force boot camp, the Gold Star daughter was shocked. She's dedicated her life to telling her father's story and said she would be heartbroken if people didn't get to hear of his sacrifice.

"I'm very disappointed in that, because I have been active in trying to let people know who the Tuskegee Airmen were," Beecham told Military.com. "I would like that legacy to continue, not just in my family, but throughout the United States, so people would be aware of what our parents did, because they celebrated themselves by being true to the country and continuing to want to fight for this country. My dad was one of them."

Tuskegee Airmen, like Golden, were Black fighter and bomber pilots, as well as support crews, who fought in World War II. Between 1941 and 1949, upward of 16,000 Black servicemen and women participated in training aircrew members, according to the Tuskegee Airmen Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to education about the group.

Beecham hopes that the stories of the Tuskegee Airmen, including her father, will always be remembered. She said she hopes that's true for anyone who died in battle.

"He was killed in the Korean War for this country and, if anybody should be celebrated, it's the men and women who have given their life to this country," Beecham told Military.com.

The Gregg-Adams Families

Retired Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg poses in the ballroom of Lee Club at Fort Lee. Above the fireplace mantle once hung a painting of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The club hosted Gregg’s retirement ceremony in 1981 but could not admit him when he became an officer in 1950. (U.S. Army photo by T. Anthony Bell)

Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg's retirement ceremony in 1981 took place at the then-Fort Lee Officer's Club in Virginia. He hadn't forgotten that, just three decades prior, he wasn't even allowed inside the establishment due to segregation.

But in 2023, Gregg became the first living person in recent memory to have an Army installation bear his name, according to the Army. Fort Lee, once named for infamous Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, was renamed in Gregg's honor as well as that of former Lt. Col. Charity Adams. She was the first Black officer in what would later become the Women's Army Corps; she died in 2002.

Gregg, who died on Aug. 22, was the first Black brigadier general in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, as well as the first Black lieutenant general in the Army.

His daughter, Alicia Collier, told Military.com in an interview that the commemoration of Fort Gregg-Adams[16] in Virginia was an important moment not just for her father but, in her eyes, the nation as a whole -- especially because the decision came after a lengthy review by a commission that evaluated the accomplishments of her father and Adams.

"When they named the base after him and Charity Adams, it's a great sense of pride, and it was huge for my dad because he was the first living person to have received that honor," Collier told Military.com. "It did represent a color-blind review, and the decision to name it after him, to me, was an indication that our country had made some strides."

But Collier and a relative of Adams both told Military.com they fear that the base could be renamed under the new Defense Department.

Stanley Earley, Adams' son, told Military.com that a decision to change Fort Gregg-Adams back to Lee would not only neglect his mother's accomplishments, it would be "incredibly divisive" after the lengthy review process.

"To do it now, it means a conscious decision to -- well into the 21st century, to go back and name facilities after the commanders of the Confederacy is sending an incredible message," Early said. "To do such a thing, I'm hoping that they won't seriously consider doing that. It would be very sad if that's the case."

Related: Air Force Groups that Advocated for Beard Policies, Better Body Armor Are Gutted by Trump Directive[17]

© Copyright 2025 Military.com. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request here[18].

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Soldier surveys an area that is popular for border crossing near Laredo

Military.com | By Steve Beynon[1]

Published

In a sharp escalation of border security efforts, U.S. and Mexican forces will soon begin synchronized patrols along their respective sides of the southern border, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.

The joint effort underscores the Trump administration's push to have an aggressive posture on the border, a part of a key campaign promise President Donald Trump made to dramatically curtail illegal immigration.

One of Trump's first moves after taking office in January was surging some 3,600 American troops across the U.S.-Mexico border, with the Army[2]'s 10th Mountain Division serving as the headquarters element overseeing much of the mission. The surge in active-duty troops is in addition to some 2,500 National Guard[3] members who had already been deployed there before Trump took office.

Read Next: USS Truman Commander Fired After Collision with Merchant Ship near Suez Canal[4]

Following a meeting between Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command and the top American official overseeing troops in the region, and Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, the top officer of Mexico's military, a Pentagon statement said that the pair agreed to "increase information sharing and establish methods for immediate communications."

"Border security is national security; we're going to get 100% operational control of our southern border," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during an address to Pentagon staff earlier this month. "That will be a focus of this department."

Yet, as the troop presence grows, the Pentagon has provided scant details on the exact scope of the mission. Media access remains restricted -- a sharp contrast to the often open coverage granted during previous military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The lack of clarity has fueled questions about whether troops will directly engage with migrants or contribute to physical barrier construction. Air Force[5] personnel on the mission have also removed name tapes and unit identifiers during flights with migrants, the only service to do so[6].

Also, National Guardsmen who have served on the border in recent years have reported issues with their units not being utilized during the missions.

Other major deployments[7] include military police units from most major Army installations in the U.S., including Fort Cavazos[8], Texas; Fort Carson[9], Colorado; and Fort Drum[10], New York.

The military has also deployed Marine detachments from the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, and 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, both out of Camp Pendleton[11], California.

Related: Air Force Has Troops Remove Names, Unit Patches from Uniforms During Deportation Flights[12]

Military Headlines[13] Global Hot Spots[14] Mexico[15] Immigration & Citizenship[16] Border Security[17] Border Wall[18] Policy[19] Department of Defense - DoD[20] Pentagon[21]

© Copyright 2025 Military.com. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request here[22].

Read more

Soldier surveys an area that is popular for border crossing near Laredo

Military.com | By Steve Beynon[1]

Published

In a sharp escalation of border security efforts, U.S. and Mexican forces will soon begin synchronized patrols along their respective sides of the southern border, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.

The joint effort underscores the Trump administration's push to have an aggressive posture on the border, a part of a key campaign promise President Donald Trump made to dramatically curtail illegal immigration.

One of Trump's first moves after taking office in January was surging some 3,600 American troops across the U.S.-Mexico border, with the Army[2]'s 10th Mountain Division serving as the headquarters element overseeing much of the mission. The surge in active-duty troops is in addition to some 2,500 National Guard[3] members who had already been deployed there before Trump took office.

Read Next: USS Truman Commander Fired After Collision with Merchant Ship near Suez Canal[4]

Following a meeting between Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command and the top American official overseeing troops in the region, and Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, the top officer of Mexico's military, a Pentagon statement said that the pair agreed to "increase information sharing and establish methods for immediate communications."

"Border security is national security; we're going to get 100% operational control of our southern border," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during an address to Pentagon staff earlier this month. "That will be a focus of this department."

Yet, as the troop presence grows, the Pentagon has provided scant details on the exact scope of the mission. Media access remains restricted -- a sharp contrast to the often open coverage granted during previous military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The lack of clarity has fueled questions about whether troops will directly engage with migrants or contribute to physical barrier construction. Air Force[5] personnel on the mission have also removed name tapes and unit identifiers during flights with migrants, the only service to do so[6].

Also, National Guardsmen who have served on the border in recent years have reported issues with their units not being utilized during the missions.

Other major deployments[7] include military police units from most major Army installations in the U.S., including Fort Cavazos[8], Texas; Fort Carson[9], Colorado; and Fort Drum[10], New York.

The military has also deployed Marine detachments from the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, and 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, both out of Camp Pendleton[11], California.

Related: Air Force Has Troops Remove Names, Unit Patches from Uniforms During Deportation Flights[12]

Military Headlines[13] Global Hot Spots[14] Mexico[15] Immigration & Citizenship[16] Border Security[17] Border Wall[18] Policy[19] Department of Defense - DoD[20] Pentagon[21]

© Copyright 2025 Military.com. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request here[22].

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U.S. Marines install barbed wire along the border fence in San Diego

WASHINGTON — Drug Enforcement Administration agents touting immigration arrests, IRS agents poring over documents, the military escorting deportation flights. As the Trump administration[1] works on the president's pledge to crack down[2] on illegal immigration and carry out mass deportations[3], the flurry of activity has stretched across the federal government — well beyond the Department of Homeland Security, the traditional home to most immigration and border security functions.

President Donald Trump's sweeping promises have translated into a whole-of-government approach for immigration enforcement. In other words, nearly every major Cabinet agency is an immigration agency in Trump's government.

The departments of State, Defense and Justice have made immigration a clear priority in their work and public messaging. Parts of the departments of Treasury and Health and Human Services have been involved. And the reach and focus on immigration are only expected to grow, with the Republican president late Wednesday signing an executive order[4] aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the U.S. illegally.

“The breadth of what is happening in these first couple of weeks is much wider than we saw during the first Trump administration,” said Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, associate policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute.

Here's a look at how immigration enforcement is playing out across the federal government.

Immigration as a State Department priority 

Trump has promised “mass deportations,” which means not only arresting as many people in the U.S. illegally as possible but also figuring out how to remove them from the country.

That's where the State Department comes in.

Marco Rubio's first international trip [5]as secretary of state was to Central America, and he came away with deals for Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador to accept deportees from other nations. That helps officials address a key barrier: Many countries don't take back their citizens when deported.

Other issues were part of Rubio's trip — Chinese influence on the Panama Canal, for example — but migration was at the top of his agenda.

Tom Warrick, a former top DHS counterterrorism official who's now at the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan think tank, said that wasn't always the case.

“For DHS, for ICE in particular, it’s, 'What do you need foreign countries to do? OK. State Department, it’s now your requirement to go out and make that your top priority,'” he said.

Trump's pick for Rubio's deputy, Christopher Landau, was ambassador to Mexico from 2019 to 2021 and played a key role in implementing the Remain in Mexico[6] policy, and, like Rubio, speaks fluent Spanish.

That's another sign of immigration's importance, said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for less immigration.

“Just the fact that the two of them are the No. 1 and 2 people in the State Department suggests the administration’s refocus on our own backyard," Krikorian said. "And immigration control is a big part of that.”

And from the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, 600 agents were deputized Tuesday by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem[7] to assist in “arresting and deporting” people in the country illegally.

A ramped-up military role 

The Defense Department has played a border security role[8] since the administration of George W. Bush[9], with active-duty and National Guard troops sent to the U.S.-Mexico border to back up Border Patrol agents.

But this administration has taken early high-profile steps that go further.

The Pentagon has beefed up the number of troops at the border and promised more. Instead of relying solely on Immigration and Customs Enforcement charter flights, Air Force planes have been used to carry out 26 deportation flights — a rare step.

In his first trip[10] as secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth[11] visited troops on the border and said all department assets were on the table to assist. That includes Guantanamo Bay[12], where officials have sent 13 deportation flights of migrants they call “the worst of the worst” — though they've given little information about their identities or any crimes.

The administration’s Jan. 20 executive orders[13] outline other possible changes for the Defense Department.

Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the southern border indicates he may redirect money for border wall construction, something he did during his first term[14]. And he gave Hegseth and Noem 90 days for recommendations on what's needed to take complete control of the southern border, including whether to invoke the Insurrection Act. That would allow officials to circumvent rules limiting military involvement in civilian law-enforcement duties.

Warrick said the general public has largely been OK with the Pentagon taking part “behind the scenes," but that might change if the role becomes more visible.

“There’s a very clear line that exists in the mind of the American people who do not want to see uniformed military people arresting migrants, especially in their homes and and schools and houses of worship,” Warrick said.

Justice Department and ‘sanctuary cities’ 

A few days after being sworn into office, Attorney General Pam Bondi[15] took aim at what the administration considers a key impediment: cities and states that don't work with immigration enforcement to identify and deport people in the country illegally. These are often called sanctuary cities.

Bondi announced a lawsuit targeting New York's attorney general and governor over a state law allowing people who might not be in the U.S. legally to get driver’s licenses.[16] Days earlier, another Justice Department lawsuit targeted Chicago and Illinois[17], alleging that their “sanctuary” laws[18] ” thwart federal efforts.

“This is a new DOJ,” said Bondi, appearing with Tammy Nobles, whose 20-year-old daughter Kayla was killed in 2022 by a man who entered the U.S. illegally from El Salvador.

Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Drug Enforcement Administration have taken part in high-profile ICE operations to find and arrest migrants in the country illegally.

Putzel-Kavanaugh said those agencies used to play roles in line with their priorities, such as pursuing a drug charge. Now, it's a “much more highly publicized and much more singularly focused agenda for the DOJ,” she said.

The administration also has tapped the Department of Justice's Bureau of Prisons[19] to hold detained migrants, beefing up Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention capacity.

Other departments are involved, too 

Even the Internal Revenue Service[20] has been brought in as part of immigration enforcement — Noem asked the arm of the Treasury Department to help target employers engaged in unlawful hiring practices and to monitor immigrants in the country illegally.

And the administration this week suspended a program[21] run out of the Department of Health and Human Services that provides legal services to migrant children traveling alone.

What might be next? 

Krikorian said he's looking for the Department of Labor to take on a greater role, especially as worksite enforcement becomes a bigger administration strategy.

And for the Education Department[22], with Elon Musk's[23] Department of Government Efficiency accessing federal student loan data that includes their parents' citizenship status, student advocates worry the administration will use that information to identify people in the country illegally.

In the executive order signed Wednesday, Trump seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens,” but it wasn't clear which benefits would be targeted. People in the country illegally generally do not qualify except for emergency medical care. Children are entitled to a free K-12 public education regardless of immigration status under a 1982 Supreme Court ruling.

The order directs all departments and agencies to identify federal benefit spending that is inconsistent with a 1996 welfare law that denies most public benefits to people in the country illegally.

___

Associated Press writers Fatima Hussein, Collin Binkley and Michael Sisak contributed to this report.

© Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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