US army suspends commander after Trump and Hegseth portraits flipped to face wall

The army has suspended a Wisconsin training base’s first female commander after discovering portraits of Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth had been flipped around to face a wall.

The army has posted an undated statement on Fort McCoy’s website saying Col Sheyla Baez Ramirez has been suspended as the base’s garrison commander. The statement said the suspension isn’t related to any misconduct, but provided no other details, saying the matter was under review.

The Department of Defense on 14 April posted photos on X showing portraits of the president and defense secretary on the base’s chain of command wall had been turned to face the wall, along with photos showing that they had been flipped back to face the corridor.

“Regarding the Ft. McCoy Chain of Command wall controversy … WE FIXED IT!” the post read. “Also, an investigation has begun to figure out exactly what happened.”

No one immediately returned email and voicemail messages the Associated Press left for Fort McCoy public affairs officials on Wednesday morning.

Baez Ramirez assumed the role of garrison commander at Fort McCoy in July 2024 after serving as chief of the Reserve Program, US army intelligence and security command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. She was commissioned as a military intelligence officer through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1999 and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology/mental health from the University of Puerto Rico and a master’s in strategic studies from the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

She holds numerous citations and decorations, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Korean Defense Medal.

She has served as chief of operations of US army reserve command at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, deputy commander of the 501st Military Intelligence Brigade and deputy chief of the special United States liaison advisor Korea at Camp Humphreys in the Republic of Korea.

Fort McCoy is a 93-sq-mile training base in the far western Wisconsin countryside. It has been in operation since 1909.