06/13/2026
In an incredible act of disrespect, Pete Hegseth has removed the portrait of the first Black 4-star general, General Daniel "Chappie" James, from the Air Force Art Gallery, and then left the space blank.
A war hero, Chappie flew 179 combat missions in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. He famously stared down Muammar Qaddafi in Libya, forcing him to back down.
Removing a pioneering general’s portrait and leaving the wall empty is a deliberate insult to generations of Black Americans who served and sacrificed for this country.
With Trump’s blessing, Kegseth is erasing heroes who don’t fit his narrow, lily-white fantasy about the U.S. military.
