The US Army has suspended Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez, military commander of Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, after photos of President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were missing from the base’s chain of command show.
The Army confirmed the disqualification Monday but clarified, “This expulsion is not related to any wrongdoing. We have no further information to provide at this moment while this problem is under evaluation, ” the US Army Reserve Command said in a speech.
The move follows social media outrage and a formal investigation launched by the Department of Defense ( DOD ) into why the display wall featured empty frames where the images of Trump, Vance, and Hegseth should have appeared. The event gained attention after Hegseth reposted a concept on X that stated: “Commander of Fort McCoy, whose base chain-of-command table was missing pictures of Trump, Vance and Hegseth, has been SUSPENDED. ”
Shortly afterwards, a fresh image was posted showing the wall had been updated. “Regarding the Ft. McCoy Chain of Command wall controversy … WE FIXED IT! Furthermore, an investigation has begun to figure out exactly what happened, ” the Pentagon’s fast response team wrote on X.
Ramirez took over as army chief in July 2024 and had formerly served in key functions, including at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Her expulsion comes amid broader management turmoil in the defense. Earlier this month, Col. Susannah Meyers was removed from prompt at Pituffik Space Force Base in Greenland after domestic reaction to an internet in which she distanced herself from notes made by Vice President Vance during a visit. The Space Force cited a “loss of confidence in her ability to direct. ”
In a separate discussion, Hegseth dismissed four advisers last year following tensions over domestic leaking tied to a second Signal party talk discussing Houthi attacks. The talk reportedly included Hegseth’s woman, brother, and private lawyer. Hegseth attributed the hole to “disgruntled people. ”
