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{{short description|United States Air Force general}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Daniel James Jr.
|image= James DanielChappie.jpg
|image_size= 
|alt= 
|caption= 
|nickname= "Chappie"
|birth_date= {{birth date|1920|2|11}}<ref name=af1975pfs>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/general-chappie-james |title=Personal Fact Sheet, Daniel "Chappie" James |pages=159–161 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 25, 1975 |publisher=[[Air Force Historical Research Agency]]}}</ref>
|birth_place= [[Pensacola, Florida]], U.S.<ref name=af1975pfs />
|death_date= {{death date and age|1978|2|25|1920|2|11}}<ref name=af1975pfs />
|death_place= [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]], U.S.
|placeofburial= [[Arlington National Cemetery]]
|allegiance= United States
|branch= [[United States Army Air Forces]] (1943–47)<br/>[[United States Air Force]] (1947–78)
|serviceyears= 1943–1978
|rank= [[General (United States)|General]]
|servicenumber= 
|commands= [[North American Aerospace Defense Command]]<br/>[[Military Airlift Command]]<br/>[[Wheelus Air Base|7272nd Flying Training Wing]]<br/>[[33rd Fighter Wing|33rd Tactical Fighter Wing]]<br/>[[8th Fighter Wing|8th Tactical Fighter Wing]]<br/>[[92d Cyberspace Operations Squadron|92d Tactical Fighter Squadron]]<br/>[[437th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron]]
|unit= 
|battles= 
{{tree list}}
* [[World War II]]
* [[Korean War]]
* [[Vietnam War]]
** [[Operation Bolo]]
{{tree list/end}}
|awards= [[Defense Distinguished Service Medal]]<br/>{{nowrap|[[Air Force Distinguished Service Medal]] (2)}}<br/>[[Legion of Merit]] (2)<br/>[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] (3)<br/>[[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]]<br/>[[Air Medal]] (14)
|relations= Lieutenant General [[Daniel James III]] (son)
|laterwork=
}}
'''Daniel "Chappie" James Jr.''' (February 11, 1920 – February 25, 1978) was a [[fighter pilot]] in the [[United States Air Force]] who, in 1975, became the first [[African American]] to reach the rank of four-star [[General (United States)|general]] in the [[United States Armed Forces]]. Three years later, James was forced to retire prematurely due to heart issues, just weeks before dying of a [[heart attack]].

James attended the famous [[Tuskegee Institute]] and instructed African American pilots during [[World War II]]. He flew combat missions during the [[Korean War]] and [[Vietnam War]], and received the [[Defense Distinguished Service Medal]], two [[Air Force Distinguished Service Medal]]s, two [[Legion of Merit|Legions of Merit]], three [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Crosses]], a [[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]], and fourteen [[Air Medal]]s.

== Biography ==

===Early life and education===
Daniel James Jr. was born on February 11, 1920, to Daniel and Lillie Anna (Brown) James. Daniel James Sr. worked for the Pensacola city gas company, while his mother, [[Lillie Anna James]], was a high school teacher who established a private school for her own and other Black children in [[Pensacola, Florida]].<ref>U.S. Census, 1930, enumerator district 17-23, supervisor's district 1, sheet 5B</ref> His mother would continue to run the "Lillie A James School" until her death at the age of 82.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Grier |first1=Peter |title=The Chappie James Way |journal=Air Force Magazine |date=October–November 2018 |page=71}}</ref> James graduated from the Tuskegee Institute, a precursor to [[Tuskegee University]], in 1942, receiving a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[physical education]].<ref name="nytimesobit">{{cite news|last1=Treaster|first1=Joseph E.|title=Daniel James, First Black to Be a Full General, Dies; Arrested for Sit-In Statement of Brown|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1978/02/26/110935795.html?pageNumber=32|access-date=July 4, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=February 26, 1978|language=en}}</ref>

===Military career===
====World War II====
James continued civilian pilot training under the government-sponsored [[Civilian Pilot Training Program]]. He then enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program of the [[United States Army Air Forces]] on January 18, 1943, receiving his commission as a [[second lieutenant]] and pilot wings at Tuskegee Army Airfield, Alabama, on July 28, 1943.<ref name=BlackPast>{{cite Q|Q104349714}}<!-- Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr. (1920-1978) -->.</ref> He remained at Tuskegee as a civilian instructor pilot in the [[United States Army Air Corps|Army Air Corps]] later that July. Throughout the remainder of the war, James trained pilots for the all-Black [[99th Pursuit Squadron]].

After completing [[P-40 Warhawk]] training and then [[B-25 Mitchell]] training, James served as a B-25 pilot with the [[616th Bombardment Squadron|617th Bomb Squadron]] of the [[477th Fighter Group|477th Bomb Group]] at [[Godman Army Airfield]] and then at [[Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base|Lockbourne Army Airfield]] from January 1944 until the end of the war.

While arrested for participating in the [[Freeman Field mutiny]], James smuggled out press releases written by [[Coleman Young]].<ref name="kaczor19851221">{{Cite news |last=Kaczor |first=Bill |date=1985-12-21 |title='Chappie' James was headed for politics, author says |page=11B |work=The Sumter Daily Item |agency=Associated Press |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aqUiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1a0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1331%2C10724635 |access-date=2020-07-01}}</ref> James did not see combat himself until the Korean War.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=8862 |title=Factsheets : Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. |publisher=www.nationalmuseum.af.mil |access-date=2010-02-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925124323/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=8862 |archive-date=2008-09-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/cc/james.html |title=Daniel ("Chappie")James Jr. |publisher=www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil |access-date=2010-02-17 |archive-date=2011-05-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507031347/http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/cc/james.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

While serving in Lockbourne, James next served as a [[P-47 Thunderbolt]] pilot with the [[301st Fighter Squadron]] from July 1947 to October 1948, and then served on the staff of the [[332d Air Expeditionary Wing|332nd Air Base Group]] at Lockbourne from November 1948 to September 1949.

====Korean War====
[[File:Lt. Daniel "Chappie" James with P-51 in South Korea.jpg|thumb|right|James with F-51 in South Korea]]
In September 1949, James went to the Philippines as flight leader for the [[12th Fighter Squadron|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 Mustang]] and [[F-80 Shooting Star]] aircraft. His combat missions were with the [[67th Fighter Squadron|67th Fighter Bomber Squadron]], [[12th Fighter Squadron|12th Fighter Bomber Squadron]], and [[44th Fighter Squadron|44th Fighter Bomber Squadron]].

====After Korea====
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]], later becoming operations officer. In April 1953, he became commander of the [[437th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron]], and assumed command of the [[60th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron]] in August 1955. 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. On August 15, 1954, he appeared as a contestant on the game show ''[[What's My Line?]]'' 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 [[Royal Air Force Bentwaters|RAF 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, 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 4453rd Combat Crew Training Wing.

====Vietnam War====
[[File:"Gunfighter" pilots of the 480th and 390th Tactical Fighter Squadrons from Danang Air Base, Vietnam attend a... - NARA - 542304.tif|thumb|left|Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. (standing) in August 1967, addressing a conference at Ubon Air Base, Thailand. [[Robin Olds]] is sitting to his right.]]

James went to [[Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base]], [[Thailand]], in December 1966, as deputy commander for operations, 8th TFW. In June 1967, under Colonel [[Robin Olds]], he was named wing vice commander when Col. [[Vermont Garrison]] completed his tour. Both in their mid-40s, 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 of F-4 Phantom II fighters 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]].

[[File:Daniel James, Jr. in front of his McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.15|Colonel (at the time) Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. in front of his McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom in Thailand during the Vietnam War]]

====After Vietnam====
He was named vice commander of the 33rd TFW at [[Eglin Air Force Base]], Florida, in December 1967. While stationed at Eglin, the Florida State Jaycees named 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.

[[1969 Libyan coup d'état|Following the coup engineered by radical Libyan officers]], including [[Mohammar Qaddafi]], James had a tense standoff with the militants in the late stages of turning Wheelus over to the Libyans. James was determined not to be pushed off the base early, but Qaddafi and his followers began pushing the Americans to see how far they could go and at one point "ran a column of half-tracks through the base housing area at full speed". Following this escalation, James closed the gates of the base. Qaddafi arrived at the gate and while talking to James, moved his hand over to his pistol holster to which James replied: "I told him to move his hand away. If he had pulled that gun, his hand would have never cleared the holster."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Grier |first1=Peter |title=The Chappie James Way |journal=Air Force Magazine |date=October–November 2018 |pages=70–73}}</ref>

In March 1970 James was promoted to brigadier general and became Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs).<ref name=BlackPast/> James played a key role in rejecting the accuracy of a list of prisoners of war supplied by North Vietnam, despite widespread agreement within the U.S. government that it was in close accord with intelligence estimates. That rejection, in turn, bolstered the politically explosive myth that the communists deliberately were holding prisoners as hostages for some future leverage.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Allen|first=Michael J.|title=Until the last man comes home : POWs, MIAs, and the unending Vietnam War|date=2009|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|isbn=978-0-8078-9531-3|location=Chapel Hill|pages=92|oclc=489150940}}{{page needed|date=July 2021}}</ref>

He was designated principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) in April 1973. On September 1, 1974, he assumed duty as vice commander of the [[Military Airlift Command]] (MAC), headquartered at [[Scott Air Force Base]], [[Illinois]], as a Lieutenant General.<ref name="BlackPast" />

On September 1, 1975, James was promoted to the four-star rank of general (O-10), becoming the highest ranking African-American in the history of the United States military to that date.<ref name=BlackPast/> He was assigned as commander in chief of [[NORAD]]/[[ADCOM]] at [[Peterson Air Force Base]], [[Colorado]]. In these dual capacities, he had operational command of all [[United States]] and [[Canada|Canadian]] strategic aerospace defense forces. On December 6, 1977, he assumed duty as special assistant to the [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force|Chief of Staff]], U.S. Air Force.<ref name="Astor">Astor, Gerald ''The Right to Fight: A History of African Americans in The Military'', 1998, Da Capo Press, pp. 440–443</ref>

James retired from the Air Force on February 1, 1978.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lange |first=Katie |date=2022-02-10 |title=Air Force's Daniel 'Chappie' James Jr. Was 1st Black 4-Star General |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/story/Article/2930686/air-forces-daniel-chappie-james-jr-was-1st-black-4-star-general/https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2930686/air-forces-daniel-chappie-james-jr-was-1st-black-4-star-general/ |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=U.S. Department of Defense |language=en-US}}{{dead link|date=December 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

===Death===
[[File:Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. (92447041).jpg|right|upright=0.7|thumb|[[Arlington National Cemetery]]]]
James died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on February 25, 1978, just two weeks after his 58th birthday and three weeks following his retirement from the Air Force. An earlier heart attack had forced his retirement.<ref name=af1978queri>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/general-chappie-james |title=Reply to query on the reason for Gen. James' retirement |page=165 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=February 1978 |publisher=[[Air Force Historical Research Agency]]}}</ref>

He was buried with full military honors at [[Arlington National Cemetery]], following a [[Requiem|Funeral Mass]] at the [[Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception]] in Washington DC.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1978-03-01|title=The funeral of GEN Daniel (Chappie) James is conducted in the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at Catholic University|url=https://nara.getarchive.net/media/the-funeral-of-gen-daniel-chappie-james-is-conducted-in-the-shrine-of-the-immaculate-dda5bb|access-date=2021-08-26|website=The U.S. National Archives|language=en}}</ref>

He was survived by his wife, Dorothy Watkins James, their daughter, Danice Berry, and two sons, [[Daniel James III]] and Claude James.<ref name="nytimesobit" /> His wife Dorothy died in 2000 and is buried with him in Arlington.

==Personal life==
James met his wife Dorothy while he was at Tuskegee, and they were married on the campus on November 3, 1942.<ref>{{cite web|title=James, General Daniel "Chappie" Jr. (1920–1978) – The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed|date=25 November 2007 |url=http://www.blackpast.org/aah/james-general-daniel-chappie-jr-1920-1978}}</ref> They had two sons and one daughter.<ref>{{cite web|title=Daniel Chappie James, General, United States Air Force|date=15 October 2022|url=http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/djames.htm|access-date=29 April 2006|archive-date=8 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208103415/http://arlingtoncemetery.net/djames.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> General James's son, Lieutenant General [[Daniel James III]],<ref>{{cite web|title=AF.mil|url=http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=5929|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090809032000/http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=5929|archive-date=2009-08-09}}</ref> also served in the United States Air Force as a fighter pilot and in the [[Texas Air National Guard]]. He served from 1995 to 2002 as the [[Adjutant General]] of the Texas National Guard (the first Black general 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 Air Force at the rank of Lieutenant General after 38 years of total commissioned service, on active duty and as an Air Guardsman.

James appeared as a guest on the August 15, 1954 episode of the panel game show [[What's My Line?]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=hQO76QHdz8k | title=What's My Line? - Fred Allen's Debut; Buffalo Bob Smith & Howdy Doody (Aug 15, 1954) | website=[[YouTube]] | date=23 September 2015 }}</ref>

==Political positions==
James was widely known for his speeches on [[Americanism (ideology)|Americanism]] and [[patriotism]], for which he was editorialized in numerous national and international publications.

[[File:Secretary of Defense Harold Brown and General Daniel "Chappie" James visit with Jimmy Carter. - NARA - 177740.tif|right|thumb|upright=1.15|Secretary of Defense [[Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense)|Harold Brown]] (left) and General James (center) visit [[Jimmy Carter]]]]

Excerpts critical of the growing [[Civil rights movement (1896–1954)|civil rights movement]] were read into the [[Congressional Record]].<ref name="Astor"/>

The statements by James in which he repudiated the most militant point of view endeared him to concerned whites, including President Johnson, who invited him to a White House reception. Immediately after the [[Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.|murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.]], and as riots erupted in several areas across the country, James addressed a gathering of Air Force Association officers at which he declared that in spite of events and the resistance to progress, "I'm not disgusted-I'm a citizen of the United States of America and I'm no second-class citizen either and no man here is, unless he thinks like one and reasons like one and performs like one. This is my country and I believe in her, and I will serve her, and I'll contribute to her welfare whenever and however I can. If she has any ills, I'll stand by her until in God's given time, through her wisdom and her consideration for the welfare of the entire nation, she will put them right."<ref name="Astor"/>

He was awarded the [[Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge|George Washington Freedom Foundation Medal]] in both 1967 and 1968. He received the [[Arnold Air Society|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."<ref name="Astor"/>

==Honors and awards==
General James' military awards include the following:
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan="3"|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=COMMAND PILOT WINGS.png|width=206|alt=}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=|type=oak|ribbon=Defense_Distinguished_Service_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Air_Force_Distinguished_Service_ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|other_device=|ribbon=Legion of Merit ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=2|type=oak|other_device=|ribbon=Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=|type=oak|other_device=|ribbon=Meritorious_Service_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=12|type=oak|other_device=|ribbon=Air Medal ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=|type=oak|other_device=|ribbon=Air Medal ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=|type=oak|ribbon=Army_Commendation_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=5|type=oak|ribbon=AF Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon.png|width=110}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=3|type=oak|other_device=|name=Outstanding Unit ribbon|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=|type=oak|other_device=|ribbon=Army_Good_Conduct_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Combat_Readiness_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=American_Defense_Service_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=World War II Victory Medal ribbon|width=110}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Army_of_Occupation_ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon, 2nd award.svg|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=4|type=service-star|ribbon=Korean_Service_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=3|type=service-star|ribbon=Vietnam Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=7|type=oak|name=Air Force Longevity Service ribbon|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=|type=oak|ribbon=Armed_Forces_Reserve_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|name=USAF Marksmanship ribbon|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|name=Presidential Unit Citation (Korea)|width=110}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Vietnam_gallantry_cross_unit_award-3d.svg|width=110}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=United Nations Service Medal Korea ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp.svg|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Republic_of_Korea_War_Service_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan="3"|[[United States Aviator Badge|U.S. Air Force Command Pilot Badge]]
|-
|[[Defense Distinguished Service Medal]]
|[[Air Force Distinguished Service Medal]]<br>with bronze [[oak leaf cluster]]
|[[Legion of Merit]]<br>with bronze oak leaf cluster
|-
|[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]<br>with two bronze oak leaf clusters
|[[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]]
|[[Air Medal]]<br>with two silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters
|-
|[[Air Medal]]<br>''(second ribbon required for accoutrement spacing)''
|[[Commendation Medal#Army|Army Commendation Medal]]
|[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Air Force Presidential Unit Citation]]<br>with silver oak leaf cluster
|-
|[[Air Force Outstanding Unit Award]]<br>with three bronze oak leaf clusters
|[[Good Conduct Medal (United States)#Army|Army Good Conduct Medal]]
|[[Combat Readiness Medal]]
|-
|[[American Defense Service Medal]]
|[[American Campaign Medal]]
|[[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Medal]]
|-
|[[Army of Occupation Medal]]<br>with 'Japan' clasp
|[[National Defense Service Medal]]<br>with bronze [[service star]]
|[[Korean Service Medal]]<br>with four bronze [[campaign star]]s
|-
|[[Vietnam Service Medal]]<br>with three bronze campaign stars
|[[Air Force Longevity Service Award]]<br>with one silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters
|[[Armed Forces Reserve Medal]]
|-
|[[Marksmanship Ribbon|Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon]]
|[[Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation]]
|[[Gallantry Cross (Vietnam)|Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross]]
|-
|[[United Nations Korea Medal|United Nations Service Medal for Korea]]
|[[Vietnam Campaign Medal]]
|[[Korean War Service Medal]]
|}

{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan="3"|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Office_of_the_Secretary_of_Defense_Identification_Badge.png|width=165|alt=}}
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan="3"|[[Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge]]
|-
|}

The civilian awards that General James received included the following:

Builders of a Greater Arizona Award (1969); [[National Urban League|Phoenix Urban League Man of the Year Award]], Distinguished Service Achievement Award from [[Kappa Alpha Psi]] fraternity (1970); American Legion National Commander's Public Relations Award, Veteran of Foreign Wars Commander in Chief's Gold Medal Award and Citation (1971); Capital Press Club, [[Washington, D.C.]], Salute to Black Pioneers Award (1975); and, all in 1976, the Air Force Association [[Jimmy Doolittle]] Chapter Man of the Year Award, Florida Association of Broadcasters' Gold Medal Award, American Veterans of [[World War II]] Silver Helmet Award, [[United Service Organizations|United Service Organization Liberty Bell Award]], Blackbook Minority Business and Reference Guidance Par Excellence Award, [[American Academy of Achievement]] Golden Plate Award,<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#public-service}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Our History Photo: 1976 Guests of honor: Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach, TV stars Donny and Marie Osmond, and General Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr., USAF.|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/}}</ref> [[United Negro College Fund|United Negro College Fund's Distinguished Service Award]], [[Horatio Alger Award]], VFW Americanism Medal, Bishop Wright Air Industry Award, and the Kitty Hawk Award (Military).

He was awarded [[Honorary degree|honorary doctor of laws degrees]] from the [[University of West Florida]] in 1971; the [[University of Akron]] in 1973; [[Virginia State College]] in 1974; [[Delaware State College]] in 1975; and [[Saint Louis University (United States)|St. Louis University]] in 1976. He was named honorary national commander of the [[Arnold Air Society]] in 1971.

In 1993, James Jr. was inducted into the [[National Aviation Hall of Fame]] in Dayton, Ohio.<ref>{{cite web |title=Enshrinee Daniel James Jr. |url=https://nationalaviation.org/enshrinee/daniel-chappie-james-jr/ |website=nationalaviation.org |publisher=National Aviation Hall of Fame |access-date=10 February 2023}}</ref>

In 2019, he was chosen as the [[USAFA Class exemplar|Class Exemplar]] for the U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2022.

In 2020, the [[Pensacola Bay Bridge]] was renamed the General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. Bridge, with Florida Governor [[Ron DeSantis]] signing the bill designating the bridge's name on June 2, 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-02|title=DeSantis designates new bridge as General Daniel 'Chappie' James, Jr. Bridge|url=https://www.wkrg.com/top-stories/desantis-designates-new-bridge-as-general-daniel-chappie-james-jr-bridge/|access-date=2021-06-01|website=WKRG News 5|language=en-US}}</ref> Representative [[Alex Andrade (politician)|Alex Andrade]] and Senator [[Doug Broxson]] sponsored the successful initiatives in the Florida Legislature.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Little |first=Jim |title=Group fundraising for monument after Gen. Daniel 'Chappie' James Jr. Bridge gets official OK |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2020/07/10/pensacola-bay-bridge-renamed-gen-daniel-chappie-james-jr-bridge/5406406002/ |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=Pensacola News Journal |language=en-US}}</ref> The bridge connects larger [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]] with [[Gulf Breeze, Florida|Gulf Breeze]] and the beachfront community of [[Pensacola Beach, Florida|Pensacola Beach]].

==Effective dates of promotion==
Source:<ref name=af1975pfs /><ref name="af1977bio">{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/download/afhra-k205.10-952/AFHRA%20K205.10-950%20bios.pdf |title=Biography of General Daniel James Jr. |pages=4–11 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=January 31, 1977 |publisher=[[Air Force Historical Research Agency]] |access-date=September 2, 2022}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
{{USAF DOR O-10|July 28, 1943|July 1, 1944|October 31, 1950|June 18, 1952|April 25, 1956|November 15, 1964|July 1, 1970|August 1, 1972|June 1, 1973|September 1, 1975}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[[Benjamin O. Davis Jr.]]
*[[Benjamin O. Davis Sr.]]
*[[Martin Delany]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last1=Bracey|first1=Earnest N.|title=Daniel "Chappie" James: The First African American Four Star General|date=2003|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786451265|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r_hjOdT5yqQC&q=Daniel+James,+Jr.}}
*{{cite book|last1=McGovern|first1=James R.|title=Black Eagle: General Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr|date=2002|publisher=University of Alabama Press|isbn=9780817313074|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gSPZPQAACAAJ&q=Daniel+James,+Jr.}}
*{{cite book|last1=Phelps|first1=J. Alfred|title=Chappie: America's First Black Four-star General : the Life and Times of Daniel James, Jr|date=1992|publisher=Presidio|isbn=9780891414643|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-lWURFK5WIC&q=Daniel+James,+Jr.}}
*{{cite book|author1=Earnest Norton Bracey|editor1-last=Conyers|editor1-first=James L.|title=Black Lives: Essays in African American Biography|url=https://archive.org/details/blacklivesessays0000cony|url-access=registration|date=1999|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|isbn=9780765603296|chapter=Higher than the Eagle: The Legacy of General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr.}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*[http://www.bookrags.com/biography/daniel-chappie-james-jr/ Profile on James]
*[http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0878493.html Information on James]
*[https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/106647/daniel-james-jr/ Official biography] official USAF site – AF.mil
*[http://rewindplay.com/airmenofnote/sounds/mp324/brothersinblue/01%20Chappie%20James%20Suite%201.mp3 Chappie James Suite]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} from [[The Airmen of Note]] album "Brothers in Blue"

{{Tuskegee Airmen}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Daniel 02}}
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:1978 deaths]]
[[Category:United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:American Korean War pilots]]
[[Category:American Vietnam War pilots]]
[[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]
[[Category:North American Aerospace Defense Command]]
[[Category:People from Pensacola, Florida]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal]]
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[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Medal]]
[[Category:Tuskegee Airmen]]
[[Category:United States Air Force generals]]
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[[Category:National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:United States Army Air Forces bomber pilots of World War II]]
[[Category:African-American Catholics]]