Daniel "Chappie" James: The First African American Four Star General - Paperbackby Earnest N. Bracey (Author) General Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr., USAF, fought in three American wars and became the first African American to attain the rank of four star general in the United States Armed Forces. He was a talented military leader, an excellent orator and an advocate for equal rights for blacks in the military. James was once one of the most powerful men in the world, and today he is often classed with such great American generals