Ann Wright
2010
Ann Wright is a retired United States Army Colonel and retired official of the U.S. State Department, known for her outspoken opposition to the Iraq War. She is most noted for having been one of three State Department officials to publicly resign in direct protest of the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Wright attended the University of Arkansas, where she earned masters and law degrees, before entering the U.S. Army. Wright earned a Master’s Degree in National Security Affairs from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island and later participated in reconstruction efforts after U.S. military actions in Grenada and Somalia. Wright served 13 years in active duty in the U.S. Army, and 16 years in the Army Reserves, rising to the rank of colonel.
Over the course of her State Department career Wright served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. embassies in Afghanistan (which she helped open following the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, an assignment she volunteered for), Sierra Leone, Micronesia and Mongolia, and also served at U.S. embassies in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Grenada, and Nicaragua. Wright received the State Department’s Award for Heroism for her help evacuating 2,500 people from the civil war in Sierra Leone in 1997.
