James, Daniel, Jr. (1920-1978), was the first black four-star general in United States history. He achieved that rank in 1975 as a member of the U.S. Air Force.
“Chappie” James was born on Feb. 11, 1920, in Pensacola, Florida. He attended Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) near Tuskegee, Alabama, and took part in a special training program of the U.S. Army Air Corps (now the U.S. Air Force). Held at Tuskegee Army Air Field, this program trained the men who would become the U.S. military’s first black pilots. These men became well known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Many of them fought in World War II (1939-1945).
In 1943, James received a commission as a second lieutenant. As a fighter pilot, he flew 101 combat missions in the Korean War (1950-1953). In 1957, he graduated from the Air Command and Staff College. He flew 78 combat missions in the Vietnam War (1957-1975), including one in which his team shot down seven enemy MiG fighters, the highest total of the war. James was promoted to brigadier general in 1970 and lieutenant general in 1973. He served as commander of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), now the North American Aerospace Defense Command, from 1975 until his retirement in 1978. James died on Feb. 25, 1978.
James spoke out strongly on patriotism and for civil rights. He praised excellence in performance as a way to attack institutionalized racism.
