James Yee is a graduate of West Point. He served as an air defense artillery officer during the First Gulf War, and then later as the U.S. Army Muslim Chaplain for the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay in 2003.

After a harrowing experience as a victim of institutional Islamophobia that included character defamation, extended imprisonment, and a very public court martial, James was eventually cleared of all charges and honorably discharged from the military.

He recounted his experiences in the memoir For God and Country. Since leaving the military, James has worked in the nonprofit sector and as an in-demand public speaker, sharing his insights about Islam, Islamophobia, military culture, Guantanamo Bay, and human rights. He practices and advocates for the arts and humanities as pathways for healing from military trauma, including serving as an artist and instructor with Frontline Arts and participant in the NJCH-sponsored Clemente Course in the Humanities.

In November 2023, James spoke at a Veterans Day event co-sponsored by NJCH and the Newark Public Library alongside other veterans using the arts and humanities as pathways for healing military trauma.