Edinburg, Texas (CNN) — Patriotism runs deep in this South Texas town nestled just along the border with Mexico. American flags fly outside many businesses. Pictures of veterans adorn light poles and traffic signal boxes. And a giant mural inside a popular grocery store depicts a hero you can’t help but notice: Alfredo “Freddy” González.
González was a United States Marine Corps sergeant from Edinburg, Texas, who joined the military in the late 1960s and was killed in action during the Vietnam War. In this southernmost region of Texas, known as the Rio Grande Valley, he is the namesake of a main thoroughfare, a park and an elementary school. Outside this area, his name has graced a US Navy warship for 30 years and, until recently, he had been featured among Hispanic veterans on the Naval History and Heritage Command website.
Like González’s contributions, those made by women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color and historical figures are at the center of the Trump administration’s purge of diversity, equity and inclusion-related content from government websites…