Take a first look at the design for the new Gen. 'Chappie' James monument in Pensacola

Jim Little, Pensacola News Journal
·2 min read

The Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. Memorial Foundation released the first designs of the planned memorial plaza dedicated to the Pensacola general on Monday.

The monument will feature a 10-foot bronze statue of the general and a restored Vietnam-era F-4 Phantom II fighter jet.

Cris Dosev, chairman of the memorial foundation board, told the News Journal work is still being done on the engineering plans for the plaza, but the rendering represents more or less what the monument will look like at Wayside Park.

A rendering shows what the planned Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. Memorial Plaza at Wayside Park will look like.
A rendering shows what the planned Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. Memorial Plaza at Wayside Park will look like.

James was born and raised in Pensacola and was the first African-American to reach the rank of a four-star general. He started his military career in World War II as a Tuskegee Airman and saw combat as a fighter pilot in the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

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A rendering shows what the planned Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. Memorial Plaza at Wayside Park will look like.
A rendering shows what the planned Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. Memorial Plaza at Wayside Park will look like.

The F-4 Phantom II jet was the last type of aircraft James flew in combat. The jet that will become part of the monument is being restored at the National Naval Aviation Museum.

The monument will also feature an 80-foot flagpole displaying a large American flag.

"It lets everybody know that people in Pensacola understand the importance of that flag and that we all fly under that one American flag," Dosev said. "It reinforces General James' call to all Americans to be patriotic and love our country and love our flag. His life was a true example of that."

Fundraising is still underway for the project, but Dosev said the foundation has a goal for the plaza to be complete by the end of the year, with a dedication ceremony to take place by at least the first quarter of 2023.

Jim Little can be reached at jwlittle@pnj.com and 850-208-9827.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Gen. 'Chappie' James monument designs unveiled in Pensacola