Pilot, leader, and diplomat.
“Chappie” was born in Pensacola, Fla., in 1920, the youngest of 17 children. At the age of 17 during World War II he and a number of other Black men went off to college at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. There the young men also trained as pilots. The Tuskegee Airmen served with legendary distinction in the European theater. James was one of the most famous of these men, and he would go on to become the first Black four-star general in American history.
James won his wings and a commission in 1943 but did not see combat in World War II. Instead, he flew bombers at Selfridge Field in Michigan—a segregated base, despite Army regulations prohibiting such discrimination.
After the war he transitioned to fighters and quickly earned a reputation as an outstanding pilot. He was also courageous. When an aircraft caught fire and the pilot was trapped inside, James ripped off the canopy, pulled out the injured flyer and dragged him to safety, just before the aircraft exploded. The injured pilot was badly burned, but both men survived.
In Korea, Chappie flew 100 combat missions in both P-51s and reconnaissance jets. In Vietnam, by 1965 he was a full colonel—he flew 78 more. By 1965, James was a colonel. Named vice commander of the 8th Fighter Wing at Ubon in Thailand, he was reunited with World War II ace Robin Olds, who was in command—the two had served as a team previously in England.
They were known as Blackman and Robin.
Not only was the war unpopular, but racial unrest was erupting all nationwide. James returned from Vietnam and was often called upon to defend not only America’s military stance, but also its racial policies. James was a patriotic, hard-working, articulate, and measured individual who served as a convincing spokesman for the Black cause without becoming radicalized. Indeed, he consciously avoided radicalism and consistently stressed instead the values of determination and sincerity, arguing that performance, not skin color, was how a person should be judged. He went out of his way to visit college campuses known for their antiwar sentiments: He wanted to convert them. In one speech he said he didn’t want to hear complaints or what was wrong with America: “This is my country and I believe in her—and I believe in her flag, and I’ll defend her, and I’ll fight for her and serve.” He expected them to do likewise. He defended U.S. policy in Southeast Asia, and was especially angered over the appalling treatment of POWs—many of whom had been his friends and flying mates. Whenever attending an official dinner, he always proposed a toast “to the men in the Hanoi Hilton.”
At 6 feet, four inches tall and nearly 250 pounds, the well-spoken James was an especially effective spokesman for the Air Force. In 1967 he was named commander of Wheelus Air Force Base in Libya just as Col. Muammar Gaddhafi succeeded in his revolution there.
Gaddhafi demanded that the NATO air base—which he saw as a vestige of European colonialism—be closed and its facilities turned over to the Libyan people. This put James in a delicate position requiring restraint, tact, diplomacy, and grit. He displayed an abundance of all these qualities and upon leaving Wheelus a year later he received his first star. After four years in the Pentagon working in Public Affairs where he gained two more stars, James was then named vice commander of Military Airlift Command (MAC). After less than two years at MAC he was promoted again, becoming the first Black four-star general in U.S. history, and taking command of North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado Springs. He considered this the most important event of his career and bridled at those who suggested the promotion was “tokenism.” He had earned his stars. His job at NORAD was to anticipate and watch for a Soviet nuclear attack on the U.S. He was outspoken about Soviet capabilities and intentions, a stance not welcomed by the new administration of President Jimmy Carter.
Always brash and outgoing, James was also a good singer and performer. When Sammy Davis Jr., a star entertainer, came to sing at an Air Force Academy event, Chappie got up on stage and sang several songs with him. In December 1977, James took his last assignment, as Special Assistant to the Air Force Chief of Staff. But poor health cut that tour short, and just two months later, he retired. Three weeks afterward, he suffered a fatal attack. He was only 58.
There are three biographies of James, one by James R. McGovern, “Black Eagle: General Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr.,” another by J. Alfred Phelps, “Chappie: America’s First Black Four-Star General,” and “Daniel “Chappie” James” by Earnest N. Bracey. McGovern’s is the best.