WRIGHT, ARTHUR

Name: Arthur Wright
Rank/Branch: E4/US Army
Unit: Battery A, 1st Battalion, 44th Artillery, I FFV Artillery
Date of Birth: 17 February 1936 (Jackson MI)
Home City of Record: Lansing MI
Loss Date: 21 February 1967
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 164801N 1070546E (YD233585)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Refno: 0599

Source: Compiled 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 in 1998.

Other Personnel In Incident: (none missing)

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: SP4 Arthur Wright was a member of Battery A, 1st Battalion, 44th
Artillery. On February 21, 1967, a few days after his 41st birthday, Wright
was manning a listening post near Dai An Gate of the Marine combat base,
Dong Ha City, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. Manning the post with
Wright were Pvt. Rypkemo and Pvt. Jackson.

At about 2200 hours SP4 Wright told his companions that he was going out to
check the perimeter wire, and that if he was not back by 2400 hours to
report him to the A Battery orderly room. Wright them departed his post and
proceded to the track position #4 manned by a crew from Battery B, 1st
Battalion, 44th artillery. He told the crew he was going out to check the
perimeter wire, and not to shoot.

At 2230 hours, both the listening post and the track crew observed a trip
flare go off and saw SP4 Wright going through the perimeter wire in the
vicinity carrying his M14 rifle and a cartridge belt with about 9 cartridge
magazines. SP4 Wright never returned.

A search of the perimeter was conducted the following day without success.

On February 22, Corporal Anderson, a member of SP4 Wright's unit was
interviewed and stated that SP4 Wright told him on the day of February 21
that if he (Wright) was not there the following day, Anderson could have all
his belongings.

Arthur, who "had a smile for everyone" disappeared on February 17, 1967. No
further word has surfaced about Arthur Wright.

Wright was not among the prisoners of war that were released in 1973 by the
Vietnamese. The Vietnamese deny any knowledge of him, though circumstances
surrounding their incident indicate the strong probability that enemy forces
knew his fate.

Alarmingly, evidence continues to mount that Americans were left as
priosoners in Southeast Asia and continue to be held today. Unlike "MIAs"
from other wars, most of the nearly 2500 men and women who remain missing in
Southeast Asia can be accounted for. If even one was left alive (and many
authorities estimate the numbers to be in the hundreds), we have failed as a
nation until and unless we do everything possible to secure his freedom and
bring him home.

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