I remember working the midshift in a building on Lindsey Air Station in Wiesbaden in 1973-4. About 4 AM I was talking to an old lifer and we were discussing advancement and best things to be.
He told me that he’d either want to be a “Bird Colonel or a black Airman Third”
I don’t see any reason to where black face or change the appearance in any way.
Dang it, if I say I’m Asian, black, or Native American, that should be enough.