TIMELINE: A LOOK BACK THROUGH THE KAPPA ALPHA PSI ® JOURNAL
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Daniel (Chappie) James Jr. battled his way to the top as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He flew 101 combat missions in Korea. He flew another 78 missions in Vietnam. Six rows of ribbons on his chest tell the story of his military career, among them the Distin- guished Flying Cross. On each shoulder, James wears the single star of a brigadier general. He was promoted to general's rank in 1970, after 27 years in the Air Force. At the same time, he was named assistant secretary of defense for public affairs. Gen. James is the fourth Negro general in American history and the second to attain that rank in the Air Force. But his military career has not protected him from the sting of racial prejudice. On one occasion, he was refused service in a Pensacola bar 24 hours after the Pensacola Kiwanis Club gave him its "Man of the Year" award. James simply shrugs these things off, for he has an unwavering faith in America.
Excerpts from "Gen. Daniel James, Jr.: His Story is a Study in Success," T he Kappa Alpha Psi Journal, May 1971, Vol. LVII, No. 2.
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