Frederick W. Wright III was born on July 11, 1936. His home of record is Haworth, NJ. He served in the US Navy where he attained the rank of Commander (CDR). He grew up on Sylvan Avenue in Haworth and played on the football team at Tenefly High School. His family lived in the area until the late 1950s. After joining the Naval ROTC at Iowa State University, he was commissioned an Ensign in the Navy in 1958. He was a pilot and participated in numerous deployments, including the Cuban Quarantine in 1962. He later became a flight instructor. He made two combat cruises to Southeast Asia before he was killed. During his career, he was awarded the Bronze Star, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Air Medals, the Navy Achievement Award, the Vietnamese Cross, and, posthumously, the Purple Heart.
Wright was listed as missing in action in Vietnam on November 11, 1972 which was the date of his last combat mission. However, his date of loss is November 10, 1972. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Rose Primm Wright, a daughter Cynthia Wright Covington, and a son Frederick Williston Wright, IV, and his parents (now deceased) and two sisters.
Wright’s remains were repatriated on September 13, 1990, and positively identified on December 11, 1990. The Navy made him a CDR after he was declared KIA on December 18, 1972. On December 18, 1990 Wright received a full military burial at Arlington National Cemetery. It had been eighteen years after he was reported missing in action in Vietnam at 36 years of age.
Synopsis (from the POW Network):
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.
Information provided by the POW Network, Glenn Fuselier (veteran) and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024
