The Wall › Panel 29E › California › James Joseph Wright
JAMES JOSEPH WRIGHT
Lieutenant Commander · U.S. Navy
May 7, 1939 – November 2, 1967
Service recordJames Joseph Wright, of Merced, California, served as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy. He was lost on November 2, 1967, in North Vietnam, and was later declared dead. His name is inscribed on Panel 29E, Line 13 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 29E · Line 13
Names are inscribed in the order of loss, starting at Panel 1E at the apex and ending at Panel 1W. At the Memorial, find the panel number at the base and count down from the top line.
Remember
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Service
- Branch
- U.S. Navy
- Rank
- Lieutenant Commander (LCDR)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Url Naval Flight Officer (1320)
- Born
- May 7, 1939
- Home of record
- Merced, California (Merced County)
Casualty
- Date of loss
- November 2, 1967
- Country
- North Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Declared Dead
- Circumstance
- Aircraft Crash — crew
- First reported
- Missing in action
Context · from the records
What was happening
27 names on the Wall carry the date November 2, 1967. In November 1967, 1,133 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
He died in North Vietnam while Operation Rolling Thunder was under way. Operation Rolling Thunder (March 1965–November 1968) was the sustained U.S. bombing campaign against North Vietnam, flown by Air Force fighter-bombers from Thailand and Navy aircraft from carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin against some of the densest air defenses in the world.
His remains had not been recovered when the 2008 record was compiled. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues to search for Americans still missing from the war; families can find case information through dpaa.mil.
Read the history
On the Wall
Also on Panel 29E, Line 13
- RICHARD EDWARD SMITHSpecialist Four · November 2, 1967
- TRACY LEE WHOOLERYStaff Sergeant · November 2, 1967
- JAMES EDWARD ANDERSONSpecialist Four · November 3, 1967
- RANDALL WAYNE ERNSBERGERSpecialist Four · November 3, 1967
From Merced
- JUAN BORJA VALTIERRALance Corporal · January 5, 1966
- ROBERT THOMAS VERGANOPrivate First Class · June 27, 1966
- JAMMIE VAN FRANKLINStaff Sergeant · July 26, 1967
- WILLIAM E LAWSONMaster Sergeant · September 9, 1967
- JOHN WILLIAM MCMASTERPrivate First Class · October 8, 1967
- JIMMIE WAYNE JONESCorporal · October 22, 1967
- WILLIAM HENRY REEDY JRPetty Officer Third Class · January 16, 1968
- JOHN HOWARD SUYDAM IIISpecialist Four · February 12, 1968
- RICHARD GRANADOSSpecialist Four · March 5, 1968
- RALPH HENRY PADILLAPrivate · June 12, 1968
Source. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Casualty Analysis System, Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (as of April 29, 2008), Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330, National Archives (NAID 2240992). Panel and line as recorded in that file. This page presents the official record and its historical context; no biography has been written for him yet. See something wrong? Report a correction.