Texas Military Forces
Hall of Honor

Daniel James III

Lieutenant General Daniel James III was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, on September 7, 1945. He earned his commission as a distinguished graduate of the University of Arizona's Air Force ROTC program in 1968, and served as the Adjutant General of Texas from November 1995 until June 2002. He was appointed as the Director, Air National Guard, in 2002, and then promoted to Lieutenant General on June 3, 2003. He retired on June 5, 2006, after four eventful years as the the Director of the Air National Guard.

Prior to his appointment as the Texas Adjutant General, Lt. Gen. James was Vice Commander and later Operations Group Commander of the 149th Fighter Wing, Texas Air National Guard, Kelly Air Force Base, Texas. A command pilot with more than 4,000 hours in fighter and trainer aircraft, he is a combat veteran with over 300 missions in Vietnam.

Lt. Gen. James entered undergraduate pilot training in June 1968, completing the course a year later. The first of two active duty tours in Southeast Asia followed, during which he served as a Forward Air Controller and F-4 Phantom Aircraft Commander. Other assignments included T-38 instructor pilot; Air Staff Action Officer, Headquarters USAF; and enemy weapons and tactics instructor pilot in the prestigious aggressor training squadrons at Nellis Air Force Base.

Lt. Gen. James earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Arizona in 1968. He is a graduate of the Air Command & Staff School and the National Security Management Course. Among his numerous awards are the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Distinguished Presidential Unit Citation, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with valor device, the Combat Readiness Medal with five devices, the National Defense Service Medal with one device, the Vietnam Service Medal with four devices, the Air Force Longevity Service Award with six devices, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, the Air Force Training Ribbon, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with one device, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Lone Star Distinguished Service Medal, the Texas Outstanding Service Medal, the Texas Medal of Merit, the Governor's Unit Citation, the Adjutant General's Individual Award, and the Texas Faithful Service Medal with three cactus leaves.

Since his retirement from a remarkable military career in 2006, he continues to reside in Virginia and is enjoying retirement with his wife, Dana, and son, Daniel.
 

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