Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

African-Americans Are Highly Visible in the Military, but Almost Invisible at the Top
The New York Times ^ | May 25, 2020 | Helene Cooper

Posted on 05/25/2020 10:19:16 AM PDT by GuavaCheesePuff

WASHINGTON — A photograph of President Trump and his top four-star generals and admirals, tweeted in October by Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, was meant as a thank-you to the commander in chief. But it angered a lot of others, and not just those who erupted on Twitter.

“You would have thought it was 1950,” said Lt. Col. Walter J. Smiley Jr., who is African-American and fought in Iraq and Afghanistan before retiring last year after 25 years in the Army. Dana Pittard, a retired major general, also African-American, was equally frustrated. “It’s America’s military,” he said. “Why doesn’t this photo look like America?”

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: New York
KEYWORDS: armedforces; danapittard; helenecooper; marktesper; military; newyork; newyorkcity; newyorkslimes; newyorktimes; race; twitter; walterjsmileyjr
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-69 next last
To: Grampa Dave

Dean P. Baquet has been the executive editor of The New York Times since May 14, 2014. He is black.


21 posted on 05/25/2020 10:40:22 AM PDT by kabar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: carcraft

And Powell turned out to be a back stabbing traitor.


22 posted on 05/25/2020 10:40:41 AM PDT by gibsonguy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: GuavaCheesePuff

Doesnt mean its unfair or biased.

Enlisted folks are not going to become generals. No matter what color. Save the very rare wartime battlefield commissions.


23 posted on 05/25/2020 10:41:26 AM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not Averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: V_TWIN

Its what drove me out of my govt experience.


24 posted on 05/25/2020 10:42:50 AM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not Averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Hardastarboard

I used to ‘like’ it when the Black President, Black ‘Top Cop’, Female State, would stand there and say the Blacks/Women etc were being held back.

If he (BO) would have said IDIOTS were being put down, he could have pointed to Biden and half the ‘Black Caucus’ and Congress.

Some people will gripe if you hang them with a NEW rope.


25 posted on 05/25/2020 10:43:43 AM PDT by xrmusn (6/98"HRC is the Grandmother that lures Hansel & Gretel to the pot")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: GuavaCheesePuff
So these røvhuls want quotas for the joint chiefs?

NYT Board of Directors:


26 posted on 05/25/2020 10:45:41 AM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: V_TWIN

Very dark White ???


27 posted on 05/25/2020 10:46:03 AM PDT by captain_dave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: GuavaCheesePuff

If I recall correctly a Black man used to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

It was later discovered that he was just another politically correct POS dipsh!t.


28 posted on 05/25/2020 10:47:39 AM PDT by 5th MEB (Progressives in the open; --- FIRE FOR EFFECT!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GuavaCheesePuff
I spent 20 years in the Army and rose to the rank of 1SG/E8 and was selected to attend the US Army Sergeants Major Academy. I elected to retire prior to attending. I joined the Army at 17, having dropped out during my Junior year.

The US Military is the closest thing to a pure Meritocracy outside of professional sports.

Race Baiting Poverty Pimps and Perpetually Professionally Aggrieved are a very small segment of the Military but are very vocal and supported by The Lying, Dying Fake News Liberal Media - NO Lie They Won't Tell

29 posted on 05/25/2020 10:52:36 AM PDT by Feckless (The US Gubbmint / This Tagline CENSORED by FR \ IrOnic, ain't it?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Secret Agent Man

Yeah my dad was in the military and then worked for the USPS after that. When I told him the DoD hired me the 1st thing he did was sat me down and warned me about what I would see and to not get POed about it because that’s the way the fed gov system was.....BOY was he right. Lol


30 posted on 05/25/2020 11:01:12 AM PDT by V_TWIN
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: pfflier

And one of my best friends and brothers-in-arms in the USAF in the 1980’s was General Lloyd ‘Fig’ Newton.


31 posted on 05/25/2020 11:02:20 AM PDT by Portcall24
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: pfflier

And my friend MG (ret) Brian Newby was the Air Guard Assistant to The Judge Advocate General. I served with Brian for nearly 30 years. Nobody was more deserving, even if they announced it during Black History month, which pissed him off.


32 posted on 05/25/2020 11:02:27 AM PDT by jagusafr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: GuavaCheesePuff

Damn it! Questioning why there are no blacks in the high levels of the military is out of line. Typical NYT question. Stirring the racial pot. Divide the nation’s people.
Promotions, including the military, government, education are not an equal opportunity area of consideration.
You don’t (should not) get promoted because there are no others of your color, race, religion in leadership positions.
The first black president proved that by going overboard in appointing black persons because of their color and not their abilities. Remember what the result of that was...Holder, Rice, etc.
Now we are watching as Joe Biden chooses his running mate that he feels must be a black woman. If elected, this could have monumental consequences.


33 posted on 05/25/2020 11:14:24 AM PDT by BatGuano (Ya don't think I'd go into combat with loose change in my pocket, do Ya?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GuavaCheesePuff
I had the honor to be in a unit commanded by the third black General in history. This man was revered by his men and his command and control chopper would be seen over active firefights taking ground fire.


34 posted on 05/25/2020 11:14:59 AM PDT by redcatcherb412
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GuavaCheesePuff

They are almost invisible?

Exactly how visible should they be?


35 posted on 05/25/2020 11:18:53 AM PDT by SaxxonWoods (Just sit in your house until the food stops coming and then starve. You'll be safe.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: V_TWIN

Also the current BG of MEDCOM is black. Prior to that a female general had the job. The former head of the DHA was a black female admiral. Not sure why any of that matters, but there you go.


36 posted on 05/25/2020 11:25:12 AM PDT by Kirkwood (Follow your Inner Trump)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: GuavaCheesePuff

“Almost invisible at the top”, stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I like the whining about a lack of black head coaches in pro sports. 80% of the jobs paying $20 million a year are held by blacks. Since they don’t have a majority of the jobs that pay $1-2 million a year, that’s still major discrimination. Libs while turn anything into a racist debacle.


37 posted on 05/25/2020 11:29:00 AM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity (Liberalism is a social disease.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

O6 start happening in the mid 20 year range. Lots of senior O6 are bounced at 26 years in, and the continuation boards happen every year. Unless you are a flag officer or an integrated mustang, or prior enlisted OCS grad you are not getting past 30 years. And mandatory retirement is at 62.

I think the NYT had a swing and a miss moment and generally speaking civilian journalists (and I use the term journalist loosely), screw up military related articles routinely.


38 posted on 05/25/2020 11:29:05 AM PDT by Clutch Martin (The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: GuavaCheesePuff

Look at the top staff and their careers. Combat roles. You don’t see much Combat Service Support. Look at an infantry battalion. Not many blacks. Look at a maintenance battalion, nearly the opposite.


39 posted on 05/25/2020 11:35:16 AM PDT by IndispensableDestiny
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dp0622
The pilot’s lawyer said ... that black airmen at the base were... referred to as “eggplants” in group chats on social media.

How much do you want to bet that the actual word was "moolies"?

40 posted on 05/25/2020 11:44:44 AM PDT by Albion Wilde ("Some of these people, I met them -- zero interest, Okay? Like zero." -- Donald J. Trump)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-69 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson