This Military Service Page was created/owned by
TSgt Bill Cline (Bill)
to remember
James, Daniel, Jr., Gen USAF(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Pensacola
Last Address Colorado Springs, CO
Date of Passing Feb 25, 1978
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Chappie won his wings and a commission in 1943 but did not see combat in World War II. He remained at Tuskegee as an instructor pilot in the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program.
Korean War
In September 1949, General James went to the Philippines as flight leader for the 12th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter Wing, at Clark Field. In July 1950, he left for Korea where he flew 101 combat missions in F-51 and F-80 aircraft.
General James returned to the United States and, in July 1951, went to Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts as an all-weather jet fighter pilot with the 58th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and later became operations officer. In April 1953, he became commander of the 437th FIS and, in August 1955, he assumed command of the 60th FIS. While stationed at Otis, he received the Massachusetts Junior Chamber of Commerce 1954 award of "Young Man of the Year" for his outstanding community relations efforts. He graduated from the Air Command and Staff College in June 1957.
James next was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force as a staff officer in the Air Defense Division of the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. In July 1960, he was transferred to the Royal Air Force Bentwaters in England, where he served successively as assistant director of operations and then director of operations, 81st Tactical Fighter Wing; commander, 92nd Tactical Fighter Squadron; and deputy commander for operations for the 81st Wing. In September 1964, General James was transferred to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, where he was director of operations training and later deputy commander for operations for the 4453nd Combat Crew Training Wing.
Vietnam War
General Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr. in front of his McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom in Thailand during the Vietnam War.
James went to Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand in December 1966, as deputy commander for operations, 8th TFW, and in June 1967 was named wing vice commander, under Colonel Robin Olds, a triple ace. Both in their mid-40's, they formed a legendary team nicknamed "Blackman and Robin." James flew 78 combat missions into North Vietnam, many in the Hanoi/Haiphong area, and led a flight in the "Operation Bolo" Mig sweep in which seven Communist Mig-21's were destroyed, the highest total kill of any mission during the Vietnam War.
He was named vice commander of the 33d TFW at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in December 1967. While stationed at Eglin, the Florida State Jaycees named General James as Florida's "Outstanding American of the Year" for 1969, and he received the Jaycee Distinguished Service Award. He was transferred to Wheelus Air Base in the Libyan Arab Republic in August 1969 as Commander of the 7272nd Fighter Training Wing.
James became deputy assistant secretary of defense (public affairs) in March 1970 and was designated principal deputy assistant secretary of defense (public affairs) in April 1973. He assumed duty as vice commander of the Military Airlift Command, with headquarters at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, on September 1, 1974.
General James was widely known for his speeches on Americanism and patriotism for which he was editorialized in numerous national and international publications. Excerpts from some of the speeches have been read into the Congressional Record. He was awarded the George Washington Freedom Foundation Medal in 1967 and again in 1968. He received the Arnold Air Society Eugene M. Zuckert Award in 1970 for outstanding contributions to Air Force professionalism. His citation read "... fighter pilot with a magnificent record, public speaker, and eloquent spokesman for the American Dream we so rarely achieve."
General James died of a heart attack in February 1978 at the age of fifty-eight, less than a month after retiring from the Air Force.
General James's son, Lieutenant General Daniel James III also served in the United States Air Force and in the Texas Air National Guard. He served from 1995 to 2002 as the Adjutant General of the Texas National Guard (the first African American to hold the post), and as Director of the Air National Guard from 2002 to 2006. In the summer of 2006 he retired from the United States Air Force after 38 years of total commissioned service, on active duty and as an Air Guardsman, at the rank of Lieutenant General.
Other Comments:
Birth:
Feb. 11, 1920
Pensacola
Escambia County
Florida, USA
Death:
Feb. 25, 1978
Colorado Springs
El Paso County
Colorado, USA
United States Air Force General. He was the first African-American Four Star General in the United States Armed forces. James, who at the apogee of his career was the commander in chief of North American Air Defense Command and Air Force Aerospace Defense Command, joined the Army Air Force at a time when blacks were only allowed to work as laborers and cooks. At his childhood home near Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla., James often dreamed of flying for the Navy, but at the time none of the military branches allowed blacks to become pilots. He often told the story of when he was a young man, a naval officer ordered him to move to the back of the bus so he could sit down. James later said in a speech at Morehouse College in Atlanta that he did as he was told, but said he felt ashamed of himself and vowed to never let anyone or anything stand in his way again. After completing college at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he became an instructor with the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program. When the Army considered training blacks as pilots, James resigned his civilian post and entered the program as a student. He later graduated first in his class and received a commission as a second lieutenant. He next completed fighter pilot combat training at Selfridge Field, Mich., and was assigned to various units in the United States for the next six years. While the Air Force was considered "integrated," black pilots were not accepted socially or provided with equal opportunities or facilities. James became actively involved in several protests to provide equal treatment for blacks in the military. James' career spanned the beginning and end of an era. The era opened with the establishment of the Army Air Force flying school for blacks at Tuskegee--a crack in the discrimination barrier, but not segregation. It ended with his promotion to the highest military rank and high-level assignments. It proved that no position in the armed forces or society is closed to any person of outstanding ability and determination. (Reference: First Lieutenant Virgil W. Magee, US Air Force, Courtesy of Air Force Space Command News Service)
