USA

Trump and Vance Missing from the Wall – Now the Commander Is Gone

Fort McCoy under scrutiny after controversial photo absence.

Mikkel Preisler
By Mikkel Preisler 22. April 2025

At the U.S. Army base Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, a seemingly small oversight sparked major consequences: a wall that typically displays the chain of command was missing three key portraits — those of President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Shortly thereafter, the base’s commander, Colonel Sheyla Baez Ramirez, was relieved of her duties.

According to a statement from the U.S. Army Reserve Command, the decision was not due to any wrongdoing: “This suspension is not related to any misconduct,” the official release stated.

At the same time, the Army confirmed that the matter is now under formal review.

The photos were gone — and the story exploded

The situation escalated further when Pete Hegseth reposted a message on X (formerly Twitter), sharing the news and adding: “Commander of Fort McCoy, whose base chain-of-command wall was missing photos of Trump, Vance and Hegseth, has been SUSPENDED.”

That post went viral — and it didn’t take long for the Department of Defense to launch an investigation into what had gone wrong.

The specifics remain unclear, but a new image of the wall was quickly published, this time with the correct photos in place.

“Regarding the Ft. McCoy Chain of Command wall controversy… WE FIXED IT! Also, an investigation has begun to figure out exactly what happened,” the department’s rapid response account posted on X.

A seasoned leader — now out of the picture

Ramirez assumed command at Fort McCoy in July of last year. Before that, she served in both the active duty Army and the Army Reserve, most recently as Chief of the Reserve Program at the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Her removal comes amid a broader shake-up in military leadership. Earlier this month, the commander of Pituffik Space Force Base in Greenland was also dismissed — allegedly for “undermining” Vice President JD Vance.

A reflection of a new reality

What began as a missing set of portraits has quickly become a symbol of the sensitivity surrounding political representation in today’s military. That three empty picture frames could trigger a suspension and an investigation says as much about the political atmosphere as it does about life on base.

Our team may have used AI to assist in the creation of this content, which has been reviewed by our editors.