Lieutenant Colonel James Ellis Wright, Jr. was commissioned an Infantry Officer upon graduation from Officer Candidate School Class 5066, 14 April 1966. His first duty assignment was Battalion S-2/Commandant, Dominican Training Committee, 1st 504 PIR, 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Forces Dominican Republic (1966). | His subsequent duty assignments include: Infantry Platoon Leader, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile); Detachment Leader, Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP), 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile); Instructor, CO Opns Dept, Map Reading Committee, United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia; Infantry Company Commander, C Company, 2nd BN, 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile); Student Officer, University of Tennessee, College of Business Administration, Knoxville, Tennessee; Personnel Officer, U.S. Army Communications Command-TRADOC (USACC-TRADOC), Fort Monroe, Virginia; TRADOC Systems Staff Officer, Deputy Chief of Staff Combat Developments, Fort Monroe, Virginia; Assistant Chief of Staff Personnel (ACSPER), 3RD Support Command, Federal Republic of Germany; Director, Research and Development, U.S. Army Communicative Technology Office, Fort Eustis, Virginia; Director, Faculty Awards and Research Review, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, TN; Site Lead/Analyst, TRADOC Enterprise Classroom Programs, Computer Sciences Corporation, Fort Eustis, Virginia. | After retiring from Active Military Service he was employed as Director, Faculty Awards and Research Review, Oak Ridge Associated Universities supporting the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), This support included implementing and directing the principal DOE peer review efforts underpinning billions of dollars in grants, financial awards and contracts. | His military education consists of: Jump/Jumpmaster School, Ranger School, U.S. Army Special Warfare School, U.S. Army Engineer School, Language School, U.S. Army Officer Candidate School, U.S. Army Intelligence School, U.S. Army Infantry Officer Advance Course, University of Tennessee, U.S. Army Personnel and Human Resource Management Schools, Armed Forces Staff College.