JAMES HENRY WROTH, 1st Lieutenant, US Army, was born on 9 September 1925 in Toronto, Ontario. He was the son of James S. Wroth, an American mining engineer, and his wife, Marion V. Wroth, who were temporarily residing in Canada. The family settled in Westfield, N. J., in 1929 and Jim grew up there. His dedication to a military career began at the age of 10 while on a visit to West Point, and after the thrill of witnessing a dress parade by the Corps of Cadets. From that moment, his objective in life became admission to the Academy and a career in the Army. This decision was strengthened by such infrequent visits to the Academy as he could wangle, by reading the history of the Academy and the Army, and by discovering that some of his forebears had served in all this country's wars. He was determined and steadfast in pursuit of this chosen objective.

His military education began at the age of 12 when he was admitted to the Junior Essex Troop. This unique military organization for boys aged 12 to 16 was organized and sponsored by the old 102nd Cavalry of the New Jersey National Guard. The officers of the Guard instructed the boys in an intentionally strict military regime that was modeled after the training given to the adult guardsmen. This included horsemanship, military drill (both foot and mounted), military procedure, marksmanship, and the care and handling of small arms. The War Department authorized the boys to wear a replica of the Army uniform and permitted the use of the armories, horses, and rifle ranges. At the time Jim was retired from the Junior Troop, at age 16 for "over age," he held the rank of 1st lieutenant.

Jim attended the public schools in Westfield, but during his final year in high school he was a student at the Bordertown Military Institute in New Jersey. He was a member of BMI's rifle team that in 1943 was awarded the Hearst Trophy and Gold Medal for first place in the national ROTC rifle tournament. He held several medals for marksmanship, including the National Rifle Association's coveted Expert Rifleman medal. Upon graduation from BMI he enlisted in the Army and was accepted for induction on reaching his 18th birthday. He had previously taken Congressman Donald H. McLean's competitive examination for an appointment to the Military Academy and had been named first alternate to the principal appointee. A few days prior to his induction into the Army, on 13 October 1943 at Fort Dix, he was advised that he had been given the principal appointment. He was ordered to the USMA Program at Lafayette University, Easton, Pa., where appointees to the Academy were given preparatory studies and training. He was discharged from the Army and entered the Academy on 1 July 1944, a member of the Class of 1948.

His devotion to the Army and a keen sense of humor, that at times led to his undoing, carried him through his Plebe year. During his Third Class year he was bothered by an eye infection, believed traceable to dirt that fell into his eye while he was working under an Army truck. This restricted the hours he was allowed to study or read. This trouble continued to bother him during his Second Class year, and in December he was ordered to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D. C., where a small tumor was removed and recovery followed. The delay lasted several months and prevented his continuing with the Class of 1948.

He returned to the Academy in July 1947 as a member of the Class of 1949. In spite of his eye trouble, Jim made the "A" Squad of the rifle Team, was a member of the pistol and skeet clubs, and was interested in the Ski Club, the Debate Council, and other informal activities. Jim's first love was the Cavalry and until the Cavalry detachment and its horses were banished from the Academy, he rode as often as possible, and had been invited to try out for the Polo Team which also vanished shortly thereafter. Although horses had been replaced by tanks, the famous old Cavalry regiments were known as the Armored Cavalry. This, no doubt, motivated Jim when on graduation he chose Armor as the branch in which he wanted to serve.

After the schooling at Fort Riley and the Armored School at Fort Knox, near Louisville, Ky., Jim was ordered overseas in July 1950 and assigned to the 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment. While at Fort Knox, he met and courted Willie Mae Easley, daughter of Brig. Gen. Roy W. Easley (Ret). They were married in Louisville a month before sailing for Germany where Jim was stationed at Degerndorf and later at Regensburg. In the fall of 1951, he collapsed due to what was diagnosed as a brain tumor and was flown immediately to Walter Reed Hospital. The tumor was removed in an operation that lost him the sight of his right eye and left him in a condition that made his recovery very doubtful. That he did recover was ascribed by the fine doctors at Walter Reed to the fact that he never gave up; he fought for life until he won a very hard battle. He was given a physical discharge from the Army in April 1952. This separation from his beloved Army, and the loss of a career that he cherished with such devotion and had worked so hard to achieve, was a shock that almost broke his heart. He did not complain nor bemoan his fate but faced whatever might lie ahead with cheerful courage, although the doctors could not tell him what it might be. He did express deep regret that he could not share the dangers of the Korean War with his classmates who were giving their lives there.

He established a home in Louisville and after holding briefly a couple of "bread and butter" jobs, was employed by the Louisville District Office of the US Army Engineers, working on the navigation and drainage of the Ohio River valley. He was delighted to be associated again with the Army, even as a civilian, and was advanced in grade and rank to the title of hydraulic engineer. His superior officer advised that he was rated as extremely competent on complex engineering problems. He was an authority on small arms and a collector of rare and unusual weapons. In spite of one blind eye, he enjoyed rifle shooting and belonged to a muzzle loading rifle club and, although a "Yankee," was a member of the present day reincarnation of a proud Civil War Confederate Regiment, the 4th Kentucky Cavalry, armed with guns of Civil War vintage. This outfit enjoys an annual "battle" and picnic with a similar Union force, based at Cincinnati.

In July 1960 he collapsed suddenly, much as he had done in Germany nine years earlier. The hospital at Fort Knox flew him to Walter Reed Hospital for his third stay there. He underwent two operations and made what appeared the start of a good recovery and was sent back to Louisville in January 1961 where he was admitted to the Veterans Hospital. In spite of the excellent care given him, his condition slowly deteriorated and he died quietly on 12 March 1962. During this long history of illness, pain, and frustration and the fight against long odds that he knew were against him, Jim never gave up fighting, never lost his courage nor his ability to show a smile to those around him. He held the high regard of those who worked with him during his various illnesses. He did not complain nor gripe. During all this, his wife was a pillar of strength to him. She helped him to fight discouragement and frustration, was at his side at his most difficult moments and, if she sometimes felt despair, Jim never knew it. Nor did those who knew her, for she, too, wore a brave countenance.

In spite of the brevity of Jim's active service in arms, he was a brave and gallant officer, worthy of a place in the "Long Gray Line" and a man to whom Duty, Honor, Country were a creed and guide-line to his life.

Lieutenant Wroth is survived by his wife and 6-year-old daughter, Carol Lynn; by his parents, a sister, and two brothers. His sister is married to one of his West Point "wives," Major W.O. Scoville. His brothers are: William F. Wroth, a former Naval aviator, and Robert S. Wroth, an Annapolis graduate and a former Navy lieutenant, now a civilian engineer.