A Wisconsin Army post found itself square in the crosshairs of political controversy this week after a viral image showed something most troops would spot instantly: missing portraits of the Commander-in-Chief and his top brass on a base’s official chain of command board.
Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez, the garrison commander of Fort McCoy, has been relieved of duty following the incident. The missing photos? President Donald J. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and newly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
While the Army Reserve Command insists her suspension “is not related to any misconduct,” service members and veterans online aren’t buying the sanitized PR spin — and neither is the Secretary of Defense.
The Wall That Launched an Investigation
The whole mess began after a photo taken inside a Fort McCoy facility went viral. Instead of the traditional display featuring the Commander-in-Chief, SecDef, and other key leaders, troops were met with blank, face-down frames — an unmistakable sign that someone decided to keep the wall bare, on purpose or not.
Conservative circles on X (formerly Twitter) lit up with accusations of insubordination and political bias. The fact that Trump, Vance, and Hegseth were left off during a high-profile transition period only poured more gasoline on the fire.
Pete Hegseth himself reposted one such post on Sunday, stating bluntly: “Commander of Fort McCoy, whose base chain-of-command board was missing photos of Trump, Vance and Hegseth, has been SUSPENDED.”
By April 21, the Department of Defense issued a public update with a now-filled photo of the wall, stating, “WE FIXED IT! Also, an investigation has begun to figure out exactly what happened.”
Who Is Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez?
Col. Baez Ramirez took command of Fort McCoy in July 2024. A career military intelligence officer with a résumé full of assignments — but noticeably absent of combat deployments — her rise has drawn scrutiny from many in the ranks.
Her service history includes stints at Fort Belvoir, Camp Humphreys, and Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg). Her medals include the Korean Defense Service Medal and a NATO Medal (Yugoslavia), but no combat ribbons or Bronze Star — a glaring omission for someone who’s been in uniform since 2000 and managed to avoid 20+ years of war.
“She’s the type that talks people-first leadership and community engagement,” said one Army veteran, “but when you skip deploying while the rest of us got blown up in Iraq and Afghanistan, you better at least put the President’s photo on the damn wall.”
Online sleuths have even dug up her remarks from the 2024 change-of-command ceremony, where she said, “You are the center of gravity of what we do.” Now, critics are saying she centered the wrong gravity.
Base Drama in the Badger State
Fort McCoy doesn’t usually make national headlines. It’s a small post, but a big-time training hub that supports over 100,000 troops annually. It’s supposed to be neutral ground — a place where politics take a backseat to mission readiness.
That’s why the image of the blank frames hit so hard with the veteran and active-duty community. In an era where every institution seems to have a political angle, even a missing photo becomes a lightning rod.
According to Army regulations, chain of command photos aren’t just decoration — they’re required displays that reflect respect for civilian leadership and military tradition. The absence of those portraits isn’t just suspicious. It’s a violation.
“Not Misconduct” – But Something Sure Happened
The Army Reserve Command’s official line is that Col. Baez’s suspension isn’t related to “misconduct.” But with an active investigation underway and the DOD’s rapid response team scrambling to patch the optics, it’s clear something serious went down behind the scenes.
Some defenders claim the portraits hadn’t arrived yet following Hegseth’s confirmation — a plausible excuse if the frames hadn’t been turned around and facing the wall. That deliberate touch has led many to conclude this wasn’t a case of logistics. It was a quiet protest.
The Salty Soldier reached out to Fort McCoy for comment early Saturday. No official statement has been issued as of press time, though the Army Reserve did confirm the original viral image was legit.
“The Fort McCoy leadership team and the Army Reserve were unaware of the vandalism of the Leadership Board at a building on Fort McCoy, WI,” their statement read. “Once it was brought to their attention, the leadership at Fort McCoy took immediate action to correct it. Additionally, the command initiated an investigation to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident.”
Where This Goes From Here
The Army’s leadership has a choice to make. If the omission was an oversight, a correction and a quiet reassignment might follow. But if it’s confirmed that Col. Baez intentionally defied protocol, the consequences could be more severe — and deserved.
Military tradition isn’t optional. And neither is respecting the chain of command, even when the political winds change.
In a time when Americans — especially veterans — are demanding accountability from every institution, the military has to be the last place where politics takes precedence over duty. If a post commander can turn the President’s photo to the wall without consequence, what else can be turned away?
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