Lieutenant General Telita Crosland, a senior Black female officer in the US Army and head of the military’s health branch, was forced to leave her position after 32 years of service. She was fired after President Trump’s recent military reorganization and a series of command changes.
On February 28th, Crosland formally announced his resignation. “I want to thank Crosland for her dedication to the nation, to the military health system, and Army medicine for the past 32 years,” said Stephen Ferrara, acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
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Reporters, however, have learned from two unnamed sources that she was given an order to resign without providing a reason. The Pentagon declined to comment on the issue by referring questions to the Defense Health Agency, which did not reply.
The action coincides with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s continued attempts to end military diversity, equality, and inclusion initiatives. In addition to ending military recruitment at a major Black Engineer Awards ceremony and military engagement in Black History Month events, Hegseth has referred to DEI initiatives as divisive.
Crosland, however, has previously said that she does not define her work by race or gender, even though she is one of the highest-ranking Black female commanders in the Army.
In an essay published on the agency’s website last year, she stated, “I don’t actually frame anything I do day-in and day-out in the terms of my race or my gender. That’s always been a hard question for me to answer.” She added, “It’s not because I don’t understand the responsibility … certainly, there are challenges that come from being a woman in the military, there are challenges that come from being African American, and being in the military.”
