Reply #15: Found in my cyberkeller:

[Karenina]

April 2, 2002, 12:12AM

ELITISM VS. RACISM?

Some see efforts to diversify Special Forces as lowering of standards for sake of image
By RON KAMPEAS
Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Special Forces have always prided themselves on how hard it is to become a member. For some black SEALs, Rangers and Green Berets, staying is tougher than getting in. With Special Forces having become the face of the U.S. military in the Afghan war, leaders are sensitive to the fact that those faces are overwhelmingly white, and they are recruiting in minority neighborhoods.

The problem, some say, is the attitudes black recruits face once inside. "It was like being the only black in a Harley-Davidson gang, as out of place as you can be," said retired Lt. Jake Zweig of his short, tumultuous stay in the SEALs. "It was horrendous."

The SEALs have acknowledged "pockets of racial insensitivity" and have appointed a minority recruitment chief with authority to veto bigoted candidates.

The crux, all agree, is the elitism that defines the "special" in Special Forces. "SEALs are very sensitive about lowering standards and letting in people who are not up to the standards of what a Special Forces warrior should be," said Lt. Cmdr. Darryn James, a spokesman for Navy Special Warfare.

Such talk riles Army Brig. Gen. Remo Butler, a Ranger who is now the highest-ranking black soldier in Special Forces.
"That's code for `You're not quite as smart, you're here because you're getting a break somewhere,' " said Butler, who heads Special Operations Command-South in Puerto Rico.

The armed services are often held out as standard-bearers for integration. Blacks -- 13 percent of the U.S. population -- make up 20 percent of the military. But they are less than 4 percent of Special Forces.

...There's much more but the article is old and I couldn't find a suitable link. PM me if you want the rest of it.