WRIGHT, FREDERICK WILLISTON III
Remains Returned September 1990
Name: Frederick Williston Wright III
Rank/Branch: O4/US Navy
Unit:
Date of Birth: 11 July 1936
Home City of Record: Haworth NJ
Date of Loss: 10 November 1972
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 171258N 1065847E (YD106998)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: A7A
Refno: 1946
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 March 1991 from one or more of
the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence
with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W.
NETWORK 2020.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: The Vought A7 Corsair II was a single-seat attack jet utilized by
both the Navy and Air Force in Vietnam. The aircraft was designed to meet
the Navy's need for a subsonic attack plane able to carry a greater load of
non-nuclear weapons that the A4 Skyhawk. The aircraft's unique design
completely freed the wingspace for bomb loading; the Pratt and Whitney jet
engine was beneath the fuselage of the aircraft.
According to pilots, forward air controllers (FAC) loved the A7, especially
in North Vietnam. Whenever A7s were around, they'd try to get them because
of their ability to put the ordnance right where it was supposed to be. The
accuracy had little to do with pilot technique; it was the bombing computers
onboard the aircraft at the time. The Corsair manufacturer had as many
technical reps onboard the ship as there were pilots, and the reps had the
airplanes tuned to perfection. A7s had an exceptionally long range of over
700 miles.
LtCdr. Frederick W. Wright III was the pilot of an A7A Corsair sent on a
combat mission on November 11, 1972. His mission took him over the
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and over Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam. During
the mission, Wright's aircraft was shot down and he was declared missing.
Wright was evidently maintained in missing status for some time, as his rank
was upgraded to Commander. By 1973, however, Wright's status was Killed in
Action/Body Not Recovered.
For the next years, Wright's family wondered what happened to him. No new
information surfaced regarding his fate. Then in September 1990, they were
notified that remains had been released by the Vietnamese that had been
tentatively identified as those of Frederick W. Wright III. On December 12,
1990, the positive identification was announced. After 18 years, Wright was
finally home.
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02/2020
https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000yPQTMEA4
On December 11, 1990, the Central Identification Laboratory-Hawaii (CILHI, now DPAA) identified the remains of Commander Frederick Williston Wright, missing from the Vietnam War.
Commander Wright joined the U.S. Navy from New Jersey and was a member of Carrier Air Wing 3, embarked aboard the USS Saratoga. On November 10, 1972, he piloted an A-7A Corsair on a combat mission along the demilitarized zone in Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam. The aircraft was shot down during the mission, and CDR Wright was killed in the incident. His remains could not be immediately recovered. Post-war investigative efforts led to the recovery of CDR Wright's remains in September 1990. His remains were turned over to U.S. custody and identified shortly thereafter.
Commander Wright is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
If you are a family member of this serviceman, you may contact your casualty office representative to learn more about your service member.