'Now it's real:' F-4 Phantom II jet for Gen. 'Chappie' James Memorial Plaza arrives

The aspirational project to build a memorial plaza dedicated to Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James at the foot of the new bridge across Pensacola Bay named after him became tangible on Friday as an F-4 Phantom II fighter jet rolled through the gates of NAS Pensacola.

The jet is the type of fighter aircraft James flew 78 combat missions in during the Vietnam War when he was vice commander of the U.S. Air Force Eighth Tactical Fighter Wing.

The Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. Memorial Foundation is organizing the effort to restore the F-4 Phantom II to look as James' own jet would have looked during the war.

City signs onto take jet: City to sign lease for historic fighter jet for Chappie James plaza project

'A perfect match': Renowned artist Ed Dwight will sculpt Gen. 'Chappie' James statue

Funding: Pensacola agrees to help fund Gen. 'Chappie' James statue and women veterans monument

Memorial foundation board member and retired Navy Capt. Lee Hansen said with the aircraft in Pensacola the foundation can begin serious fundraising efforts to make the memorial plaza a reality.

"Now it's real, and now people realize we're serious about this," Hansen said. "It's not just a pie in the sky. We actually have the aircraft. We actually have a statue created."

The jet was carried in pieces on three trucks and will be reassembled and restored at the museum. The jet is now officially on loan to the city of Pensacola from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

The jet had been on display at Music City Executive Airport in Gallatin, Tennessee before it made the 470-mile journey to Pensacola.

James was the first African American to become a four-star general in the military and had a legendary career in the U.S. Air Force until his untimely death at the age of 58 in 1978 from a heart attack.

Born and raised in Pensacola, James joined the military during World War II and became a Tuskegee Airman learning to fly and then becoming a flight instructor himself before becoming a pilot in a bomber group.

James didn't see combat until the Korean War where he flew 101 combat missions.

James ultimately became a four-star general over North American Aerospace Defense Command, one of the top commands in the U.S. Air Force.

Economic tax breaks: Should Escambia allow economic tax breaks for new business developments? Voters to decide

Addressing Homelessness: Escambia County has $4 million to address homelessness. The question is how to spend it?

Hansen said her father, who was from Pensacola and just a few years younger than James, would talk about James as being a role model.

"It's one of those, stories were (James was) born into a poor family, but a family that encouraged and demanded education and excellence," Hansen said. "In fact, his mother's 11th commandment was 'Thou shalt not quit.' And so we've kind of taken that on as our motto."

The monument will feature the jet as well as a 10-foot bronze statue of James and an 80-foot flag pole with a large American flag.

Renowned artist Ed Dwight, a former Air Force test pilot and America's first African-American astronaut candidate, is the lead sculptor for the statue, which is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

Hansen said the goal is to have the plaza ready to open the same day as the new bridge is complete, and the foundation is looking to fundraise to make it happen.

More information about the foundation's fundraising is on their website at GeneralChappieJamesMemorial.org.

Along with taking responsibility for the jet, the city has also committed $250,000 and city property at Wayside Park for the plaza.

Pensacola Council President Ann Hill and council members Teniadé Broughton and Delarian Wiggins were on hand to see the jet arrive at the museum.

"He's one of our hometown heroes, so we need to make sure he's honored," Hill said.

Before Broughton was elected to the council, she worked at the Chappie James Museum and heard firsthand oral histories from people who knew James.

"He was fair. He was honest. He was just a dynamic figure," Broughton said.

Broughton said it's fitting a monument to James will be in such a prominent place with a public piece of art for a military figure.

"When visitors come to Pensacola, they'll know that they're in a military town, they're in a town that even recognizes African American history," Broughton said. "… Chappie being the son of someone born a slave and look what he became. How empowering is that story?"

Jim Little can be reached at jwlittle@pnj.com and 850-208-9827.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: F-4 Phantom II jet for Gen. 'Chappie' James Memorial Plaza arrives