On July 26th, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order ending segregation in the military. Sixty years later, blacks have made tremendous gains in the military world but are still playing catch-up in the upper echelons. Blacks make up 17 percent of the total force but only 9 percent of its officers and just six percent of general officers with one to four stars.

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. The dearth of blacks in high-ranking positions gives younger African-American soldiers few mentors of their own race. And as the overall percentage of blacks in the service falls, particularly in combat careers that lead to top posts, the situation seems unlikely to change.

Retired Gens. Colin Powell and Johnnie E. Walker are black generals who were able to rise through the ranks to positions of great power, but there are a lot of reasons why blacks aren't becoming generals.

The reasons for the lack of blacks in the higher ranks are many and complex, ranging from simple career choices to [a problem getting] 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.

Or, as Walker says: “it’s hard to tell young people the sky’s the limit when they look up and don’t see anyone [who looks like them]." [MSNBC]