African-American's Rare in Top Military Ranks

African-American machine gunners on the road near Maffrecourt, France, part of the 369th infantry; during World War 1. It should be known, that African-American integration at the beginning of U.S. military history, where usually put on the front war lines as cannon fodder .

24 July 2008

Blacks have made great strides in the military since it was integrated 60 years ago, but they still struggle to gain a foothold in the higher ranks, where less than 6% of U.S. general officers are African-American.

While blacks make up about 17% of the total force, they are just 9% of all officers, according to data obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press.

The rarity of blacks in the top ranks is apparent in one startling statistic: Only one of the 38 four-star generals or admirals serving as of May was black. And just 10 black men have ever gained four-star rank — five in the Army, four in the Air Force and one in the Navy, according to the Pentagon.

According to Pentagon data, as of May:

• 5.6% of the 923 general officers or admirals were black.

• Eight blacks were three-star lieutenant generals or vice admirals.

• Seventeen were two-star major generals or rear admirals.

• Twenty-six were one-star brigadier generals or rear admirals.

• Three of the black one-stars were women.

The excuse’s given for the lack of blacks in the higher ranks are many and complex, ranging from simple career choices to Congress and family recommendations. Most often mentioned is that black recruits are showing less interest in pursuing combat jobs, which are more likely to propel them through the officer ranks.

Furthermore, among African-American’s who had served in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, the majority where disgusted; because of their maltreatment within the ranks, by white officer’s and counterparts.