Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez has been suspended from her role as garrison commander of Fort McCoy in Wisconsin after the Army base failed to display official photos of President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on its chain of command board.
The U.S. Army Reserve Command confirmed the suspension but emphasized it was not tied to misconduct. “We have no further details to provide at this time while this matter is under review,” the command said in a statement.
Hegseth weighed in on the controversy Sunday, reposting an X post that read: “Commander of Fort McCoy, whose base chain-of-command board was missing photos of Trump, Vance and Hegseth, has been SUSPENDED.”
The Defense Department has since launched an investigation into why the chain-of-command wall displayed empty frames where the leaders’ portraits should have been. A follow-up photo posted online showed the images had been installed, with the DOD’s rapid response team posting: “WE FIXED IT! Also, an investigation has begun to figure out exactly what happened.”
Ramirez took command of Fort McCoy in July 2024. Before that, she served as chief of the Reserve Program at the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and held several leadership roles within the Army and Army Reserves.
Her suspension is part of a broader wave of high-profile shakeups across the U.S. military. Just earlier this month, the Pentagon relieved the commander of Pituffik Space Force Base in Greenland , Col. Susannah Meyers, after she reportedly “undermined” Vice President Vance during his visit.
Following the visit, Meyers emailed her staff on March 31, stating, “I do not presume to understand current politics, but what I do know is the concerns of the U.S. administration discussed by Vice President Vance on Friday are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base.” She added that she had “spent the weekend thinking about Friday’s visit — the actions taken, the words spoken, and how it must have affected each of you.”
The Space Force later announced that Meyers was relieved of duty due to “loss of confidence in her ability to lead,” adding that commanders must remain nonpartisan and uphold the highest standards of conduct.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Hegseth also fired four former aides last week after an internal conflict and leak investigation escalated. The secretary blamed “disgruntled employees” for leaking reports about a private Signal group chat discussing Houthi strikes—a chat that allegedly included Hegseth’s wife, brother, and personal lawyer.
