Roland R. Wright was born on March 30, 1919, and passed away on October 19, 2015.
Roland was a Brigadier General of the United States Air Force who was a pilot during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
During World War II, Wright was assigned to the 364th Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group where he flew the P-51 Mustang.
Roland had three confirmed aerial victories, one of which was against a Me-262-the eighth to have ever been shot down.
All three P-51 Mustangs he flew were dubbed the ‘Mormon Mustang’.
Roland eventually reached the rank of Brigadier General, retiring in 1976.
He was also one of the first members of the Utah Air National Guard.
Roland was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Prior to joining the Air Force, he served as a missionary in the Northern States Mission, headquartered in Chicago.
After retiring. Roland served as the president of the New York, New York Mission from 1977–1980 and as director of the Washington DC Temple Visitors Center from 1991-1993.
On October 18, 2014 Wright was honoured by the Utah Air National Guard when the Utah Air National Guard Base was formally renamed to the Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base.
A remake of his plane currently resides at Legacy Flight Museum, where it is flown by pilot John K. Bagley.
Roland Wright died at age 96 in October 2015.