| Daniel James III | |
| Birth Date: | 7 September 1945 |
| Birth Place: | Tuskegee, Alabama |
| Death Place: | Washington, D.C. |
| Allegiance: | United States |
| Branch: | United States Air Force |
| Serviceyears: | 1968–2006 |
| Rank: | Lieutenant General |
| Commands: | Air National Guard Texas National Guard 149th Operations Group Director, Air National Guard |
| Battles: | Vietnam War |
| Awards: | Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (2) Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross (2) |
| Relations: | General Daniel James Jr. (father) |
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.
James was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1945.,[1] 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.[2] He retired from the United States Air Force in June 2006.
He died on August 1, 2017, of congestive heart failure.[3] He received both Baptist and Catholic funeral services and was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.[4]
| 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 | |||||||||