Henry Arthur Wright (1946–1968): Vietnam Casualty: Awarded Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V” for heroism

Henry Wright & Burial Vault

Main Mausoleum, Section 174, Tier 3, Niche 1

Henry Wright a United States Marine Corps officer and decorated combat hero who was killed in action during the Vietnam War. A native of Oakland, California, Wright was the son of Roy E. Wright and Marjorie J. Wright. He graduated from Oakland High School in 1963 and from the United States Naval Academy in 1967, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.

Wright deployed to Vietnam on January 5, 1968, and was assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force. On February 6, 1968, amidst the early weeks of the communist Tet Offensive, his unit was called upon to assist a Combined Action Platoon (CAP B-4) engaged in a fierce battle in the hamlet of La Chau (2), located south of Da Nang in Quảng Nam Province.

At approximately 08:45 that morning, CAP B-4 came under intense enemy fire and requested support. A two-squad reaction force from Company D, supported by an M48A1 tank, responded from nearby Hill 47. As they approached La Chau, the tank struck a land mine and was subsequently disabled by enemy B-40 rocket fire, igniting the vehicle. The Marines immediately came under heavy automatic weapons and small arms fire from entrenched North Vietnamese Army forces.

1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment in Vietnam

Lieutenant Wright organized his platoon and led them across open terrain under heavy fire to reinforce the embattled Marines. Disregarding his own safety, he moved to an exposed vantage point to assess the battlefield and better direct his men. He then led an aggressive assault against enemy positions, personally directing fire and maneuvering across a rice paddy. When his radio operator was seriously wounded, Wright carried him to safety while continuing to provide medical aid and tactical leadership.

Returning to the fight, Wright resumed command of his platoon, providing covering fire to facilitate the evacuation of the wounded. He was mortally wounded by enemy fire during this effort. Despite the intensity of the battle, his leadership helped prevent further casualties and contributed to the Marines’ success in breaching the enemy line.

For his valor and selflessness, Second Lieutenant Henry A. Wright was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V” for heroism. The citation praised his “bold initiative and fearless action,” which were instrumental in saving fellow Marines and accomplishing the mission. His actions upheld the highest traditions of the United States Marine Corps and Naval Service.

Lieutenant Wright had been in Vietnam for just over a month at the time of his death. He was among nine Americans—eight Marines and one Navy corpsman—who died in the action at La Chau, with twenty others wounded.

His Bronze Star Medal was presented posthumously to his parents by Colonel Donald Kennedy, Director of the 12th Marine Corps District Headquarters in San Francisco.

Sources: Oakland Tribune, Sept 2, 1968, Bronze Star Medal Citation, U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Records, Marine Corps Command Chronologies, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund - Wall of Faces, Combined Action Program After Action Reports (CAP B-4), Find a Grave, and Dept of Defense Casualty Reports