Daniel James III
Daniel James III | |
|---|---|
 Lieutenant General Daniel James III | |
| Born | September 7, 1945 Tuskegee, Alabama |
| Died | August 1, 2017 (aged 71) Washington, D.C. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1968–2006 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | Air National Guard Texas National Guard 149th Operations Group Director, Air National Guard |
| Battles / wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (2) Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross (2) |
| Relations | General Daniel James Jr. (father) |
Daniel James III (September 7, 1945 – August 1, 2017) was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force who served as the director of the Air National Guard from June 3, 2002, to May 20, 2006.
Biography
[edit]James was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1945.,[1] his father was Air Force General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr.[2] He held a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Arizona, Tucson, and graduated from the Air Command and Staff College in 1981 and the National Security Management Course in 1992.
James flew 500 combat hours in Southeast Asia and earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses. He was the first African American to become the director of the Air National Guard.[3] He retired from the United States Air Force in June 2006.
He died on August 1, 2017, of congestive heart failure.[4] He received both Baptist and Catholic funeral services and was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.[5]
Major awards and decorations
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| Command Pilot Badge | |||||||||||
| Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster | |||||||||||
| Legion of Merit | Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster |
Meritorious Service Medal | |||||||||
| Air Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters |
Air Force Commendation Medal | Air Force Achievement Medal | |||||||||
| Air Force Presidential Unit Citation | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with "V" device and oak leaf cluster |
Combat Readiness Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters | |||||||||
| National Defense Service Medal with two campaign stars |
Vietnam Service Medal with four bronze stars |
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | |||||||||
| Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters |
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with gold hourglass device |
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon | |||||||||
| Air Force Training Ribbon | Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Silver Star |
Vietnam Campaign Medal | |||||||||
Other awards
Assignments
[edit]- June 1968 – June 1969, student, undergraduate pilot training, Williams Air Force Base, Arizona
- June 1969 – August 1970, forward air controller, Cam Ranh Bay Air Base, South Vietnam
- August 1970 – July 1972, squadron instructor pilot, Williams AFB, Arizona
- July 1972 – February 1973, squadron flight training class commander, Williams AFB, Arizona
- February 1973 – December 1973, air operations staff officer, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
- December 1973 – June 1974, U.S. Air Force conversion training course, George AFB, California
- June 1974 – May 1975, 421st TFS squadron instructor pilot and assistant flight commander, Udorn Royal Thai AFB, Thailand
- May 1975 – August 1976, 64th FWS Aggressor instructor pilot, Nellis AFB, Nevada
- August 1976 – September 1978, 65th FWS Aggressor instructor pilot and squadron flight commander, Nellis AFB, Nevada
- September 1978 – September 1979, weapons tactics officer, 149th Tactical Fighter Group, Texas Air National Guard, Kelly AFB, Texas
- September 1979 – March 1982, group pilot, later, unit pilot, 182nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kelly AFB, Texas
- March 1982 – December 1983, unit commander, 182nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kelly AFB, Texas
- December 1983 – October 1988, Commander, A flight, 182nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kelly AFB, Texas
- October 1988 – October 1989, pilot, C flight, 182nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kelly AFB, Texas
- October 1989 – December 1992, command post assistant officer-in-charge, later, command post officer-in-charge, 149th Tactical Fighter Group, Kelly AFB, Texas
- December 1992 – December 1994, Vice Commander, 149th Tactical Fighter Wing, Kelly AFB, Texas
- December 1994 – November 1995, Commander, 149th Operations Group, Kelly AFB, Texas
- November 1995 – June 2002, Adjutant General, Headquarters Texas National Guard, Austin
- June 2002 – 2006, Director, Air National Guard, Arlington, Virginia[8]
References
[edit]
- ^ "Daniel James III makes own mark in Air Force history". U.S. Air Force. February 20, 2012.
- ^ "Active Major Command and ANG Leaders", Air Force Magazine, Air Force Association, p. 106, May 2011, archived from the original (PDF) on January 8, 2013, retrieved December 20, 2011
- ^ Sgt. Jim Greenhill (May 10, 2005). "Lt. Gen. James says farewell to Air Guard members". US Air Force. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ "DANIEL JAMES Obituary (2017) – The Washington Post". www.legacy.com.
- ^ "DANIEL JAMES III Obituary (2018) The Washington Post". Legacy.com. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "Members of the Order of the Sword". Maxwell AFB Air University. November 16, 2005. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ^ "HOH". TMFM. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008.
- ^ Smith, Erich B. (August 18, 2017). "Former Air Guard director Lt. Gen. Daniel James III's legacy remembere". National Guard Bureau. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
Further reading
[edit]- "Tuskegee Airman". National Museum of the US Air Force. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- "The Order of the Sword". Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. January 20, 2006. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
External links
[edit]- Maj. Lt. Gen. Daniel James III United States Air Force Bio Archived August 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
Categories:
- 1945 births
- 2017 deaths
- United States Air Force generals
- Recipients of the Legion of Merit
- Recipients of the Air Medal
- Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
- Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
- Recipients of the Order of the Sword (United States)
- University of Arizona alumni
- African-American United States Air Force personnel
- Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
- 21st-century African-American military personnel
- African Americans in the Vietnam War
- African-American Catholics
- People from Tuskegee, Alabama