First Lieutenant Wright was the pilot of a F-51D Mustang night fighter with the 67th Fighter Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter Bomber Group. On 2 April 1951, while on a combat mission, as he made a strafing run the aircraft's wing dislodged and the plane crashed near Oechon-ni, Korea.

Wright was awarded the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.