Air Force Reinstates Page on First Female Thunderbird Pilot After Temporary Removal
Claim: The United States Air Force removed a webpage about Col. Nicole Malachowski, a 21-year veteran and the first woman to fly with the Air Force’s Thunderbirds demonstration team.
Rating: Outdated
Context: The page has since been restored to the Air Force website, with the organization citing the temporary removal as part of its efforts to “comply with Defense Department directives while honoring our Air Force history.”
By Yogesh
In June 2026, a wave of online discussion emerged regarding a claim that the U.S. Air Force had taken down an article featuring Col. Nicole Malachowski, the pioneering woman who flew with the elite Thunderbirds demonstration team, from its official website.
Social media users asserted that the removal was part of an initiative by the then-President Donald Trump administration to purge content perceived as related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). One prominent voice expressed criticism, emphasizing that Malachowski’s “place in Air Force history is not a political slogan it’s well documented.”
For those unfamiliar, the Thunderbirds are a distinguished unit within the Air Force, renowned for their aerial demonstrations at air shows and major sporting events.
This administration has removed the achievements of the Air Force’s first female Thunderbird pilot Retired Colonel Nicole Malachowski. The removal of these articles have sparked criticism because her place in Air Force history is not a Political slogan it’s well documented. pic.twitter.com/Hg119iYFU8
— Suzie rizzio (@Suzierizzo1) June 10, 2026
In essence, reports indicated that the Air Force had indeed temporarily removed a webpage dedicated to Malachowski. This information was confirmed via an email from the public affairs office of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, where she once held a command position.
However, officials had previously communicated that digital content pertaining to Col. Malachowski’s career, including the article initially posted on the 4th Fighter Wing website, was “currently being restored across all Air Force platforms following clarifying guidance from higher headquarters” as of late April 2025.
While the initial claim of the webpage’s deletion held truth, its subsequent restoration means the situation is now considered outdated.
The specific article in question, titled “A life in flight for first woman ‘Thunderbirds’ pilot,” was originally published on March 19, 2013. It detailed Malachowski’s impressive career trajectory, from joining the Air Force in 1996, accumulating “1,600 flying hours, including 185 hours of combat time in Operation Deliberate Forge and Operation Iraqi Freedom,” to her selection for the Thunderbirds in 2005 and her eventual role as “commander of the 333rd Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.”
Reports began to surface around April 16, 2025, that the feature was no longer accessible on the Air Force website. Instead, the URL string appeared to have “DEI” appended to it, resulting in a “404 — page not found” error.
Interestingly, the “DEI” version of the URL, which previously displayed the “404” message, no longer exhibits this error for some users. In certain instances, it now redirects to the original article, while for others, it presents an alternate version of the page that is identical except for the addition of “DEI” before the headline. Meanwhile, the original URL, without the “DEI” modification, is now functioning correctly, as corroborated by the Air Force’s statement.
The Air Force’s initial removal of the page seemed to stem from the Trump administration’s broader efforts to address what it deemed as DEI initiatives within government and military branches.
A spokesperson for Seymour Johnson Air Force Base stated via email, “We continue to review all content under our purview to comply with Defense Department directives while honoring our Air Force history.”
Prior to the article’s reinstatement, Malachowski shared her concerns with Snopes, warning of the potential repercussions: “If we are willing to censor the stories of service members and veterans, what else are we willing to censor? This sets a very dangerous precedent and this kind of censorship erodes democracy.”
Following her appearances on CNN and CBS to discuss the matter, the Air Force reinstated the page. Malachowski later expressed via Instagram, “It appears the Air Force decided to reinstate my articles this morning after getting pressure from journalist[s]. Well, that is nice, [but] it is not enough. There are tens of thousands of other articles, posts, photos, and videos of countless other service members and veterans that need to be restored … They must not stop with just restoring my story. They must restore every service member and veteran[‘]s story.”
The temporary removal of Malachowski’s story from a government website appears to be part of a developing trend during the early months of Trump’s second presidential term. Official government pages have seen the deletion of various historical narratives deemed by the administration to fall under vague DEI parameters. This has included the erasure of stories from other service members, such as a Black Medal of Honor recipient and a Black female Army officer who died in combat.
The deletion of such articles has extended beyond military personnel. Snopes has also reported on the temporary removal of content related to historical figures like Jackie Robinson and Harriet Tubman, as well as significant events such as the Holocaust.