More detail on this person: John "Jack"
MacNair Wright, Jr. was born 14 Apr 1916, at Los
Angeles, CA. He died 27 Jan 2014 at Riverside, CA.
On 28 Jun 1940, he married Helene Tribit at
Beverly Hills, CA. Jack grew up in Hollywood and
was active with the Boy Scouts of America,
reaching the rank of Eagle Scout. He obtained an
appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point, NY, with the Class of 1940. While at West
Point, he starred in varsity soccer, becoming an
All-American.
A distinguished soldier whose shining qualities of
leadership, patriotism, and courage were annealed
by more than three years as a prisoner of war of
the Japanese in World War II; a far-thinking and
innovative pioneer in the development of air
assault forces and tactics for the Vietnam War; a
commander whose first thoughts were always for
the soldiers he led; and a lifelong and preeminent
leader of the Boy Scouts of America, John MacNair
Wright, Jr. has served his country with
distinction, integrity, and an unswerving
commitment to the ideals expressed in the West
Point motto: Duty, Honor, Country.
Jack Wright graduated from West Point in 1940.
Commissioned in the Coast Artillery Corps, he was
assigned to the 91st Coast Artillery, Philippine
Scouts, an element of the Harbor Defenses of
Manila and Subic Bays. He served in a four-gun
155mm battery until the Japanese final assault to
defeat Corregidor, at which time he was designated
"Battery Wright" with one 155 mm roving gun and
authority to move this battery to any position on
Corregidor to deliver effective fire on Japanese
targets on Bataan. Battery Wright fired the last
artillery round in the defense of Corregidor. For
his gallantry under fire during this desperate
period, Lieutenant Wright was awarded a Silver
Star and a Purple Heart.
Captured on Corregidor by the Japanese, he was a
prisoner of war for three years and four months,
enduring the worst kind of depraved, inhuman, and
demoralizing conditions. Near the end of the war
he was moved from the Philippines to Japan, and
then to Korea, surviving the sinking of one POW
ship, the total destruction of a second ship, and
the safe arrival of the third ship at Moji, Japan.
Although there were many officers senior to
Lieutenant Wright, he was frequently chosen by the
senior American POW to occupy the most difficult
leadership positions. A fellow POW said of him,
"Throughout this ordeal, Jack Wright was an
inspiration to all under the most trying of
circumstances."
He was liberated in September 1945. After a year
of hospitalization, he transferred to the Infantry
and qualified as a parachutist. In 1948, he became
the Military Attache at the US Embassy in
Paraguay. Back in the United States, he attended
The Infantry School and then commanded the 3rd
Battalion, 508th Airborne Regimental Combat Team
at Fort Benning, Georgia.
During the Korean War, Lieutenant Colonel Wright
was assigned to the 7th Infantry Division, where
he served as 32nd Infantry Regimental Executive
Officer, Division G-1, and Division G-4. After
returning from Korea, he earned a Master's Degree
in Business Administration at the University of
Southern California, and was then assigned to the
Department of the Army Staff. In 1961, then
Colonel Wright graduated from the National War
College.
After assignments in Germany as Chief of Staff,
8th Infantry Division; G-3, VII Corps; and G-3,
Seventh Army; he was promoted to brigadier
general and assigned as Assistant Division
Commander of the 11th Air Assault Division (Test),
an experimental unit formed to test and evaluate
airmobile concepts at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Brigadier General Wright contributed significantly
to the development, refinement, and implementation
of air assault tactics and doctrine for this new
division. In order to know and understand the
capabilities of the primary means of battlefield
mobility for this new combat doctrine, he
qualified as a helicopter pilot. In 1965, the
division was reorganized as the 1st Cavalry
Division (Air Mobile), and deployed to Vietnam.
Returning to the United States, he was promoted to
major general and assigned to the Army Staff to
conduct a study, "Aviation Requirements for the
Combat Structure of the Army." This study became
the blueprint for the future development of Army
Aviation. In 1967, he became Commanding General
of the Infantry Center and Commandant of the
Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. In 1969,
he returned to Vietnam to command the 101st
Airborne Division. For his brilliant leadership,
professionalism, and personal courage, he was
awarded a second Distinguished Service Medal, the
Distinguished Flying Cross, and 47 Air Medals.
Promoted to lieutenant general, Jack Wright was
appointed Comptroller of the Army. In this, his
final active duty assignment, he had a significant
impact on the rebuilding of the Army and the
recruiting, training, and retention of quality
soldiers. In 1972, he retired from active duty and
was awarded a third Distinguished Service Medal. A
year later, he earned a Master's Degree in
International Affairs at George Washington
University.
In retirement, Jack Wright turned to his second
major interest - serving the youth of America
through the Boy Scout movement. An Eagle Scout,
he was deeply involved with Scouting as a
volunteer throughout his military career. He
served as Scoutmaster, Explorer Advisor, District
Commissioner, District Chairman, and Council
President. He participated in national and world
jamborees, and served as technical advisor to the
Boy Scout Association of Vietnam while Assistant
Division Commander of the 1st Cavalry Division
(Airmobile) in Vietnam.
Now out of uniform, he became a professional
Scouter and for the next ten years he served as
Director of Research and Development, National
Director of Programs, and National Director of
Exploring for the Boy Scouts of America. Under his
direction, the Exploring program's membership
reached an all-time high of 800,000. The impact of
his influence, example, and overall leadership on
the young men and women of Scouting was
unprecedented.
General Wright is the recipient of the coveted
Silver Beaver and Silver Antelope Awards for
distinguished service to Scouting, as well as the
Distinguished Eagle Scout Award for outstanding
service to the Army and the nation. Elected to the
Army Aviation Hall of Fame in 1986, he later was
awarded the George Washington Honor Medal by
the Freedom's Foundation at Valley Forge.
Throughout a lifetime of service to his country,
General Wright made permanent and valuable
contributions to the security and freedom of the
United States. His personal courage under
unimaginable conditions, his dedication to the
welfare of the American soldier throughout his
career, his lifetime commitment to the welfare of
the youth of America, and the example of
leadership and integrity he set, are in the finest
traditions of the United States Military Academy.
Accordingly, the Association of Graduates takes
great pride in presenting the 2007 Distinguished
Graduate Award to John MacNair Wright, Jr.
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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