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James Wold Papers, 1943-2003
Collection Overview
Title: James Wold Papers, 1943-2003
ID: OGLMC1524
Primary Creator: Wold, James (1932-2003)
Extent: 12.25 Linear Feet
Date Acquired: 05/23/2007
Subjects: Legal, Military History - Prisoners of War (POW), Military History - Vietnam War, University of North Dakota - Alumni
Languages: English
Abstract
Scope and Contents of the Materials
The James Wold Papers date from 1943 to 2003 and have been divided into eleven series as follows:
Series 1: Personal History and Military Career
Series 2: Legal Career
Series 3: Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office
Series 4: POW/MIA Organizations
Series 5: Legislative Documents and Materials
Series 6: United States Russian Joint Commission
Series 7: Correspondence
Series 8: POW/MIA Reports and Media Documents
Series 9: Oversized Materials
Series 10: Photographs
Series 11: Artifacts
Collection Historical Note
James William Wold was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 18, 1932 to Peter and Hulda Christine (nee Olson) Wold. Peter, a native of Lillehammer, Norway, immigrated to the United States in the summer of 1923 and farmed briefly in North Dakota before permanently relocating his family to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hulda Christine, an American by birth, was originally from Colfax, Wisconsin. As a teenager, Wold attended Minneapolis South High School for two years before transferring to Hillcrest Academy in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. While studying at Hillcrest Academy, he became acquainted with Joan (JoAnne) Abigael Norheim, a fellow student who would later become his wife. Following graduation from Hillcrest Academy in 1949, he attended Augsburg College for one academic year.
In 1951, Wold enlisted in the United States Air Force wherein he attended the Russian Language Program at Syracuse University. After the language studies were completed, in August of 1952, Wold entered the Aviation Cadet Program. He received his aeronautical instruction through the 3505th Pilot Training Wing at Greenville Air Force Base located in Mississippi. On September 16, 1953, Wold received his commission with the rank of Second Lieutenant and the rating of Pilot. Less than a week after being commissioned, Wold married JoAnne in Pasadena, California.
As a result of being newly commissioned, Wold was briefly stationed at Mather Air Force Base in California, followed by another short assignment at Shaw Air Force Base located in South Carolina, where he flew the RB-45C reconnaissance aircraft. Once Wold became familiar with the new aircraft, he relocated to RAF Sculthorpe in the United Kingdom, where he flew missions with the 19th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron from May 1954 to June 1956. Following the completion of this placement, the Air Force assigned Wold to study mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Wold completed his bachelor's degree in two years, graduating in August 1958, whereupon he entered service with the 9th Bombardment Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho where he remained until 1961.
Thereafter, Wold was assigned to March Air Force Base in California to serve on staff, Headquarters, 15th Air Force. During Wold's various assignments worldwide, his four children were born: daughter Christine Annette (at Norton Air Force Base, California), son Kevin Daniel (in the United Kingdom), daughter Lisa Karen (while studying at the University of Michigan), and daughter Holly Susan (at Mountain Home Air Force Base). Following completion of his headquarters assignment in May of 1964, Wold was once again assigned to study engineering. Wold's second stint in the engineering field occurred while studying at the Air Force Institute of Technology located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio where he would complete his Master of Science degree in March, 1966. The Air Force immediately utilized Wold's technical background by posting him to the Test Requirements Branch and Acquisition Test Branch, Directorate of Operations, United States Air Force Headquarters, where he remained for three years.
In July 1969, Wold was deployed to South Vietnam, where he served as operations officer for the 6th Special Operation Squadron operating out of Pleiku. He then went on to command units at Pleiku and Da Nang air bases. While in Vietnam, Wold personally flew 241 combat missions in the A-1H attack bomber, many of them providing direct air support to American ground forces engaged in close-quarters combat with enemy guerillas. For his service in Southeast Asia, Wold received the Bronze Star, six Distinguished Flying Crosses, and sixteen Air Medals.
During the summer of 1970 and after returning from Vietnam, Wold he served one year as the chief of the Test Operations Branch and the Test Support Division at Strategic Air Command Headquarters, Offutt Air Force Base located in Nebraska. Thereafter, Wold worked in the Pentagon where he was assigned to the Air Force's Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel handling colonel assignments, earning a Legion of Merit in the process. In August of 1974, Wold attended the Defense Language Institute and the Defense Intelligence School at Anacostia Annex in Washington, D.C. in preparation for an assignment as the Defense and Air Attaché to the Soviet Union. Upon completion of Russian language training, in the summer of 1975, Wold was stationed at the United States Embassy in Moscow. After serving two years in the Soviet Union, Wold returned to the United States and settled on a 420 acre farm near Luverne, North Dakota. Wold retired from the Air Force on August 31, 1977 at the Grand Forks Air Force Base.
Shortly after retiring from the United States Air Force, Wold enrolled in courses at the University of North Dakota School of Law eventually graduating in the spring of 1981. Wold established a law practice in Luverne, North Dakota eventually securing the appointment as Griggs County State’s Attorney.
In 1994, Wold was appointed as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/MIA Affairs, acting as the Director of the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (hereinafter DPMO). The main function of the DPMO is to ensure that the United States government achieves the fullest possible accounting for POW/MIA United States servicemen. In this capacity, Wold traveled widely, meeting frequently with the families of missing service members, and coordinating investigation and remains-recovery efforts with foreign governments in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
While serving as the Director of the DPMO, Wold was embroiled in the controversy over the POW/MIA issue, with many members of the public (particularly family members of the missing and numerous United States Senators and Congressmen) alleging that the government was not doing enough to repatriate lost Americans as well as claiming that there existed evidence of live Americans still being held prisoner in Southeast Asia.
After serving three years as the Director of the DPMO, Wold tendered his letter of resignation to President Bill Clinton on June 26, 1997. Following his resignation from the DPMO, Wold returned home to Luverne, North Dakota, where he died on February 11, 2003.
Subject/Index Terms
Legal
Military History - Prisoners of War (POW)
Military History - Vietnam War
University of North Dakota - Alumni
Administrative Information
Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections
Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.
Acquisition Source: JoAnne Wold, Luverne, North Dakota
Acquisition Method: Donation, Acc.2007-2918
Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). James Wold Papers. OGLMC 1524, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.
Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid migrated to Archon in July 2015.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[Series 1: Personal History and Military Career],
[Series 2: Legal Career],
[Series 3: Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office],
[Series 4: POW/MIA Organizations],
[Series 5: Legislative Documents and Materials],
[Series 6: United States Russian Joint Commission ],
[Series 7: Correspondence],
[Series 8: POW/MIA Reports and Media Documents],
[Series 9: Oversized Materials],
[Series 10: Photographs],
[Series 11: Artifacts],
[All]
- Series 1: Personal History and Military Career
- This series includes materials regarding Wold's career as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force (hereinafter USAF) including his time as a pilot during the Vietnam War as well as personal accounts as written by Wold and his wife, JoAnne.
- Sub-Series 1: Personal Histories and Information
- This sub-series consists of personal histories written by James and JoAnne Wold as well as biographical sketches prepared by the DPMO and the USAF as well as documents related to Wold's funeral service.
- Box 1
- Folder 1: Statements of Personal History by Jim and JoAnne Wold: 1971-1974
- Folder 2: Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (hereinafter DASD) Wold's Public Financial Disclosure Reports: 1996-1997
- Folder 3: Biographical Sketches of DASD Wold from the United States Air Force (hereinafter USAF), Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (hereinafter DPMO and Obituaries and Funeral Service Documents: 2003
- Sub-Series 2: USAF Awards and Honors
- Box 1
- Folder 4: Newspaper Article about Brigadier General (hereinafter Brig. Gen.) Wold Receiving The Distinguished Flying Cross and Other Newspaper Articles
- Folder 5: Promotion Documents for Brig. Gen. Wold: 1964-1976
- Folder 6: Certificates Relating to Mechanical Engineering: 30 March 1966
- Folder 7: Awards, Decorations and Honors of Brig. Gen. Wold: 1967-1974
- Folder 8: Certificates of Achievement Presented to Brig. Gen. Wold on Miscellaneous Topics: 1968-1975
- Folder 9: Newspaper Articles about Brig. Gen. Wold's Retirement from the USAF: 1977
- Sub-Series 3: USAF Orders, Flying Records, Seminars and Flight Maps
- This sub-series consists of numerous orders, flying records and documents relating to seminars that Wold attended during his USAF career, as well as flight maps used during Wold's service in the Vietnam conflict.
- Box 1
- Folder 10: Brig. Gen. Wold's USAF Aeronautical Orders
- Folder 11: Master Personnel Record for Brig. Gen. Wold on Microfiche
- Folder 12: USAF Seminars Attended by Brig. Gen. Wold
- Folder 13: Vietnam Service Evasion Chart EVC 500-1
- Folder 14: Vietnam Service Evasion Chart EVC 500-2 and 500-3
- Folder 15: Vietnam Service Evasion Chart EVC 250-5 and 250-6
- Folder 16: Vietnam Service Map of Southeast Asia : 1966
- Folder 17: Brig. Gen. Wold's Pilot Flight Log with Letters to Guild of Air Pilots: 1952-1959
- Folder 18: Brig. Gen. Wold's Vietnam Service End of Tour Reports: 20 June 1970
- Folder 19: Brig. Gen. Wold's Officer Military Records: 1972-1973
- Folder 20: Hand Receipts for Brig. Gen. Wold: 1974-1976
- Folder 21: Unit Personnel Record Group of USAF Records Folder of Brig. Gen. Wold: 1975
- Folder 22: Documents Related to Brig. Gen. Wold's Service as United States Defense/Air Attaché to the UNITED STATESS.R.: 1975
- Folder 23: Brig. Gen. Wold's Base Level Military Personnel System Reports: 1975
- Folder 24: General Officer Questionnaire of Brig. Gen. Wold: 18 July 1975
- Sub-Series 4: USAF Yearbooks and Handbooks
- This sub-series contains Wold's personal yearbooks and handbooks received while stationed at various USAF bases throughout the United States.
- Box 1
- Folder 25: USAF Yearbook of Wright-Patterson AFB
- Folder 26: USAF Yearbook of Wright-Patterson AFB: 1953
- Folder 27: 19th TAC Reconnaissance Squadron Yearbook: 1953-1956
- Folder 28: Aircraft Propulsion Data Book: 1957
- Folder 29: General Electric Defense Electronics Division Handbook: 1960
- Folder 30: Booklet Entitled Of Flight and Bold Men: 1966
- Folder 31: Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration Yearbook and Certificate of Completion: Fall 1971
- Folder 32: Active Duty AF General Officers Listing Brig. Gen. Wold: October 1974
- Folder 33: AF General Officers Alphabetically by Grade Including Brig. Gen. Wold: 1 April 1975
- Sub-Series 5: USAF Correspondence
- Box 1
- Folder 34: USAF Correspondence to/from Brig. Gen. Wold: 1943-1975
- Folder 35: Personal Correspondence to Jim Wold: 1950
- Folder 36: Correspondence to Brig. Gen. Wold about Selection to Astronaut Selection Program with Related Documents: 1965
- Folder 37: Letter from Gen. Holloway to Senator Symington: 10 May 1971
- Folder 38: Correspondence to Brig. Gen. Wold: 1975-1976
- Sub-Series 6: USAF Newspaper and Magazine Articles
- This sub-series contains numerous USAF newspaper and magazine articles that relate to the type of plane Wold flew and his military rank.
- Box 1
- Folder 39: Newspaper Articles on Military Service and Especially on Pilots in the Military: 1960s-1970s
- Folder 40: Articles from AF Times about Military Positions and Salaries: 1970s
- Folder 41: A-1 Skyraider Prop Wash Newsletter: 1974-1977
- Folder 42: Defense Intelligence Agency Commander's Digest: 24 April 1975
- Folder 43: United States Embassy in Moscow News Bulletin: 24-25 June 1975
Browse by Series:
[Series 1: Personal History and Military Career],
[Series 2: Legal Career],
[Series 3: Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office],
[Series 4: POW/MIA Organizations],
[Series 5: Legislative Documents and Materials],
[Series 6: United States Russian Joint Commission ],
[Series 7: Correspondence],
[Series 8: POW/MIA Reports and Media Documents],
[Series 9: Oversized Materials],
[Series 10: Photographs],
[Series 11: Artifacts],
[All]