Lee Otis Wright, Major

From the February 15, 1925 issue of American Rifleman magazine, an obituary for Major Lee O. Wright as follows:

Maj. Lee O. Wright, son of Jonas Wright & Frances Rachel Meredith, life-long residents of Greene County, Indiana, closely identified for many years with the development of military small arms and ammunition with the ordnance staffs of the National Matches and recorder of two ammunition boards was killed in an airplane crash at Brooks Field, Texas, February 10. 

Major Wright was well known to the shooting fraternity and was active in the small arms section of the Ordnance Department until last September when at his own request he was detailed to take the flying course in order that he might become more familiar with aircraft armament problems.

Major Wright was born in Koleen, Indiana, Aug. 6, 1888.

He entered the United States Military Academy March 2, 1908, graduating June 12, 1912, standing number 7 in a class of 96, and was appointed a second lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps.

He was appointed first lieutenant Coast Artillery Corps, July 1, 1916 and captain, Coast Artillery Corps, May 15, 1917.

He was detailed in the Ordnance Department as first lieutenant July 14, 1915, redetailed as captain June 23, 1917, promoted to the grade of Major, Ordnance Department, N.A., January 12, 1918, and to the grade of lieutenant colonel, Ordnance Department, U.S.A. May 31, 1919. 

On July 1, 1920, he was transferred to the Ordnance Department with the rank of Major.

Major Wright was assigned to duty at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, in July, 1915, and remained on duty there until June, 1916, when he was assigned to duty at Watertown Arsenal, Mass.

In May, 1917, he was transferred to the Office of the Chief of Ordnance where he was assigned to duty in the Engineering Division in connection with small arms and machine guns.

He was assigned to special duty with the American Expeditionary Forces in August, 1918, for the purpose of investigating methods of manufacture of small arms ammunition and to obtain information to assist the American manufacturers of ammunition in meeting the increased demands made upon them.

Upon his return from France he was assigned as Chief of the Aircraft Armament and Small Arms Division of the Technical Staff where he remained unti July, 1921, when he was detailed to take the course at the Ordnance School conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He was graduated from the Ordnance School in June, 1922, and was assigned to duty in the Office of the Chief of Ordnances as Chief of the Infantry and Aircraft Armanment Division, Manufacturing Services. He remained on this duty until September, 1924, when he was detailed to the Air Service for the purpose of attending the Air Service Flying School. He was a student officer at the Primary Flying School, Brooks Field, Texas, at the time of his death.

Major Wright's duties during and since the war were principally in connection with the small arms, small arms ammunition and aircraft armament for which he was exceptionally well qualified and in which he rendered most valuable service. His detail to the Air Service was at his own request in order that he might obtain experience which would later be of value to him, and to the Ordnance Department, in the design and manufacture of aircraft armament material.