| Gary Gene Wright | |
|---|---|
| Location on the Wall: | Panel 14E - Line 47 |
| Age at Loss: | 43 |
| Race: | Causasian |
| Sex: | Male |
| Date of Birth: | 20 Nov, 1930 |
| Home of Record: | San Diego, CA |
| Religion: | Presbyterian |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Branch: | Air Force |
| Length of Service: | 7 years |
| Grade: | 06 |
| Rank: | Colonel |
| ID Number: | |
| Unit: | 11th Tact Recon |
| MOS: | Fixed Wing Crew |
| Date of Loss: | 17 Jan, 1967 |
| Country of Loss: | North Vietnam |
| Loss Coordinates: | 205000N 1053000E |
| Status: | Body Not Recovered |
| Type of Loss: | Hostile, died missing |
| Reason: | Air Loss, Crash on Land |
| Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: | RF-4C |
| Incident Ref. #: | 0570 |
On 17 January 1967 Major Gary G. Wright and 1Lt. Frederick J. Wozniak of the 11th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron launched from Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in an RF-4C (tail number 65-0888) on a reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. The aircraft was shot down in or near Thanh Hoa Province.
Although Chinese radio news reported the downing, there was no evidence that either of the two crewmen survived. The North Vietnamese denied that either had been captured or their remains recovered, and the POWs released in February 1973 had no knowledge of either Wright or Wozniak.
On 04 April 1978, the Secretary of the Air Force approved a presumptive Finding of Death. As of 11 May 2006 the remains of the two men have not been repatriated.
Major Wright was a veteran of Korea; he flew F-86 Sabres against the North Koreans and Communist Chinese in that war.
Air Force Casualty Office
Case Summary: On 17 Jan 1967, at approximately 13 hrs, Maj Gary G. Wright, aircraft commander, and 1stLt Frederick Wozniak, pilot, departed Udorn Airfield, Thailand, in an RF-4C on a daytime unarmed solo photo reconnaissance mission. The intended target was a military radio station (WJ 589 073), just inside Hoa Binh Province, North Vietnam.
After they left Udom, no kno~vn radio contact was made. Since there was no contact after takeoff and after the a/c’s fliel capacity was depleted (3 hours), the aircraft and crew were declared missing. No visual sightings or beeper signals were heard during the mission. An extensive search was conducted along their intended flight path with negative results. An electronic search also proved fruitless. NOTE: The only U.S. aircraft lost over North Vietnam on l7January 1967 was Case 0570.
USG Information: The entnes in the White/Pink pages were derived from the initial debrief of returnee Michael S. Kerr who reported that he heard Wright’s name mentioned by Air Force 1st Lieutenant Ronald Mastin. A review of both returnees’ debriefs indicates that Wright’s and Wozniak’s names came up not as POWs, but rather as having been shot
down.
FBIS monitored Radio Hanoi broadcasts on 17 January 1967 that reported the shootdown of four planes: 3 downed in Hanoi (including one drone) and 1 in Ha Tay Province. There is no mention of crew status. Case 0570 was the only loss in NVN on 17Janl967.
Special reporting, between 06-0623Z (13-1323 North Vietnam local time) on 17 Jan 67, tells of the shootdown of an aircraft 1 ONM SW of Hanoi by an AAA unit co-located with a SAM site. No crew status or aircraft type was given. (NOTE: The 0570 site has been found and excavated; the site is 1 3NM SW of Hanoi city’s edge.)
Source: POW NETWORK .
(from: http://www.webistry.net/jan/pow.html)Other Personnel In Incident:
Frederick Wozniak (missing)
SOURCE:
Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 October 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS:
A/C DISAP - NO TRACE OF CREW
SYNOPSIS:
The Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served a multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission type). The F4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes. Most pilots considered it one of the “hottest” planes around.
Maj. Gary G. Wright and his backseater, 1Lt. Frederick J. Wozniak, were aboard an RF4C aircraft when it disappeared on an unarmed reconnaissance mission over
That same day, Peking Radio announced that three American planes had been downed over
Wright and Wozniak were not among the prisoners of war that were released in 1973 by the Vietnamese. The Vietnamese deny any knowledge of them, though circumstances surrounding their incident indicate the strong probability that enemy forces knew their fates.
Alarmingly, evidence continues to mount that Americans were left as prisoners in
Gary G. Wright was promoted to the rank of Colonel and Frederick J. Wozniak was promoted to the rank of Major during the period they were maintained Missing in Action. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to keep pushing this issue inside the Beltway…The need to get specific answers is more important now than ever before. If still alive, some MIAs are now in their 70s…They don’t have much time left. We have to demand the answers from the bureaucrats and keep standing on their necks (figuratively speaking) until they get the message that THEY work for US and that we are serious about getting these long overdue responses. Diplomatic considerations aside… We can no longer allow questionable protocols established by pseudo-aristocratic armchair strategists, to determine or influence the fate of the men who were in the trenches while the diplomats were sharing sherry and canapes and talking about “Their Plans” for the future of
Update 2-18-98
I just received a very nice email from Gary G. Wright, Jr. Yes, this is the son of Gary G. Wright, my adopted POW/MIA. I’ve added the photo that Gary Jr sent me of his father and the message he wrote to me in my guestbook.
Name: Gary G. Wright Jr.
Website:
Referred by: Fate stepped in and brought me!
From:
Time: 1998-02-18 07:48:57
Comments: I think you have developed a really wonderful site. This is one of the nicest web sites I have ever seen. I was doing a search for items to include in a web site for my father, and I came across your site from doing a search on the type of aircraft he was flying when he went missing over
Other Personnel In Incident:
Frederick Wozniak (missing)
SOURCE:
Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 October 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS:
A/C DISAP - NO TRACE OF CREW
Gary G. Wright Jr. has launched a website about his father; http://garygwright.com/
On 2-19-98 I received another very nice email from Gary G. Wright, Jr. In this email he included a few momentos of his father that, with his permission, I’d like to share with you. This first one is a drawing Gary Wright did before he left for
