Marine Raider on Hand-to-Hand Combat With The Japanese at Guam and Iwo Jima | Frank Wright

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Frank Wright joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942, when he was just 16 years old. Before long, he became one of the famed Marine Raiders. After deploying first to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, Wright contracted malaria and had to spend time recovering. After that, he was part of Marine landings on many different islands in the Pacific, including Saipan, Guam, and Iwo Jima.

It was on Guam that Wright would first experience the ferociousness of Japanese Banzai charges, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat. He described how he was stabbed by a bayonet multiple times and not only lived to tell about it, but kept fighting until Guam was secure.

After recovering from his wounds received on Guam, Wright would land with his fellow Marines on Iwo Jima. He would once again experience up close fighting with the Japanese at Hill 382 until he had to evacuate because of serious wounds.

Interview recorded on February 22, 2025

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Video Credits:
Interviewer - Greg Corombos
Director of Photography - Jon Hambacker
Editor - Daniel Taksas