Erasing Heroes: The Cowardice of Revisionist Power

Why Erasing Ruby Bradley Should Scare Every One of Us

Let’s tell a little history story you might not know.

It’s about a woman named Colonel Ruby Bradley—a name that should be etched into every textbook, every military archive, and every patriotic heart in this country.

Colonel Bradley wasn’t just a nurse.
She was a prisoner of war.
A protector of the weak.
A lifeline to the dying.
A woman who gave away her food to starving children until she herself weighed only 81 pounds.
She was known as the “Angel in Fatigues.”

She was:

• Captured while serving in WWII

• Held in a Japanese internment camp

• A smuggler of food and hope

• A MASH nurse in Korea

• A Colonel in the U.S. Army

• The recipient of 34 medals, including the Bronze Star

• And now rests at Arlington National Cemetery

And today?
Her story—like so many others—is at risk of being pushed aside.
As federal policies move to eliminate DEI content from government and military platforms, we face the danger of forgetting the very people who expanded our understanding of service, sacrifice, and patriotism.

And let’s not forget:
Some of our nation’s most selfless military heroes have been dismissed as “suckers” and “losers” by a leader who never once wore the uniform.

That should shake us.

Let me be clear:
This isn’t just about Colonel Bradley.
It’s about a larger shift—one that risks minimizing, politicizing, or deleting the diverse and powerful stories that don’t fit a narrow, nostalgic mold of who gets to be called a hero.

They want a version of America that’s sanitized, selective, male-dominated, and fear-driven.

But that’s not the real America.

The real America looks like Ruby.

Because real patriotism isn’t loud.
It isn’t performative.
It doesn’t need a flag draped over a podium.

It’s quiet. It’s sacrificial.
It shows up in muddy boots, field hospitals, sleepless nights, and open hearts.

It looks like Ruby Bradley giving away her rations to children.
It looks like compassion over ego.
It looks like service before self.

If calling that “woke” is meant to be an insult, let me flip it—
Because bravery, compassion, and humility should never be partisan.

We don’t forget women like Ruby.
We amplify them.
We honor them.
We say their names when the noise tries to drown them out.

Because if someone like Ruby Bradley can fade quietly from view—
what else might we lose?

Not on my watch.
Not in my country.
Not while I still have a voice.

With reverence,

Michelle 💛