Corporal Frank S. Wright - USMC
I want to feature great Marines from time to time, and today, I want to introduce you to Cpl Frank S. Wright. Frank was born July 5, 1925, in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. In 1942, at the age of 16, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, lying about his age, as many Marines did during that time period. Frank lived in Little Rock, Arkansas, prior to reporting to Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), in San Diego, California (12th Recruit Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Platoon 150), on January 24, 1942.
After graduating from boot camp, Frank received orders to report to the 4th Marine Raiders Special Forces under Lt. Col James Roosevelt on Camp Pendleton. Side note, Lt Col James Roosevelt, was the eldest son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) and Eleanor Roosevelt.
The Marine Raiders are a special operations unit created in 1942 to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare. However, most combat operations during the war saw the Raiders used as conventional infantry.
As one of the original Raiders, Frank was in several major battles during World War II including the Battle of Iwo Jima, where he personally witness the second raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi and was there when photographer Joe Rosenthal snapped the now iconic photo of that flag raising.
Frank was wounded in the stomach by a bayonet while recapturing Guam and shot in the chest and arm on the island of Iwo Jima. Frank was called back to MCRD San Diego to be a Marine Drill Instructor for the last six months of his 4-year enlistment.
“I heard over the radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed,” he said. “I didn’t know where Pearl Harbor was at the time, but I knew that somebody bombed us. I went down to the Post Office to see the different advertisements… the Navy and Marines… and that kind of stirred myself up to be one of those.”
Frank recently celebrated his 97th birthday and is the youngest Marine Raider alive.
This year marks 77 years since World War II ended on Sep 2, 1945, and since the battle of Iwo Jima ended on March 26, 1945.
Frank wrote a book, detailing some of his time in the Marine Corps. The book, titled “Battle in the Pacific – World War II – My personal war causing PTSD“.
A great teaser for the book is:
‘I fought like mad as the Japanese stormed down the hill yelling “Malians you die, Malians you die.” I emptied my rifle magazine, twice. Out of ammo I slashed and plunged my bayonet into as many as I could until…
Battles in the Pacific is Wright’s autobiographical account of his four years of enlistment in World War II, including two years in the South Pacific.
Like many war veterans, Wright’s traumatic experience in the war left him in a battle with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). His detailed description of his teenage years shows why he still feels the effects several decades later. Wright’s hope is that other veterans will find hope and help through his book and perhaps be inspired to write about their own experiences.
Wright was awarded the Purple Heart with two stars, the Presidential Unit Citation with two stars, Navy Unit Commendation, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign with three service stars, the Fleet Marine Force with four stars, the Marine Corps Expedition Medal. Combat Action with four stars, the Victory medal, and the Good Conduct Medal.
Purple Heart Ribbon With 2 Gold Star
Navy-Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon With 4 Gold Star
Navy-Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon With 2 Bronze Star
Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon
Marine Corps Expeditionary Ribbon
American Campaign Ribbon
Asiatic Pacific Service Ribbon With 3 Bronze Star
World War 2 Victory Ribbon
