The Army suspended the first female commander of Fort McCoy following a controversy involving photos of President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez has been suspended as garrison commander of Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, according to the Army. Just last year, she became the first woman to assume that role in Fort McCoy’s 110-plus-year history.
“This suspension is not related to any misconduct,” the Army said in a statement. “We have no further details to provide at this time while this matter is under review.”
But an X post by the Department of Defense might offer clues into her suspension.
Last week, the Defense Department’s Rapid Response team posted photos of the Chain of Command wall at Fort McCoy.
The wall held portraits of the fort’s leadership. Noticeably, however, the photos of Trump and Hegseth at the very top row were facing the wall instead of the hallway.
“An investigation has begun to figure out exactly what happened,” the Defense Department said, adding that it “fixed” the issue by turning the portraits around.
The Army Reserve later released a statement indicating that its leadership, along with top officials at Fort McCoy, were “unaware of the vandalism of the Leadership Board.”
“Once it was brought to their attention, the leadership at Fort McCoy took immediate action to correct it,” it said. “Additionally, the command initiated an investigation to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident.”
The Army Reserve vowed to ensure that “all legal and appropriate actions are taken” in the matter.
Ramirez earned her commission as a military intelligence officer in 1999. Before becoming Fort McCoy’s garrison commander in July 2024, she served as chief of the reserve program at Army Intelligence and the Security Command in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
“I think that showing the public that we could have diversity in every part of our society is important,” she said in her first remarks to the media after becoming garrison commander.
