Daniel James III

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 James was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1945., his father was Air Force General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. 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. He retired from the United States Air Force in June 2006.

He died on August 1, 2017, of congestive heart failure. He received both Baptist and Catholic funeral services and was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

Major awards and decorations

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 Order of the Sword (United States) # 221 Texas Military Hall of Honor

Assignments 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