Unfortunately, I have been unable to open the article, so I am not sure how relevant this is. But the thing that comes to mind, based on some of the comments here, is that Blacks have joined (or were doing so) the military at high-ish rates because it was an opportunity for them to get ahead (the military is apparently somewhat more color-blind than the civilian world when it comes to promotions and compensation). Then the Gulf War happened and suddenly folks were screaming "discrimination" because Blacks were at a disproportionately high risk for getting shot and killed due to being in the military in relatively high numbers.