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#348 Frank Wright - The Last Living Original Marine Raider From WW2

The Shawn Ryan Show1h 49m

Frank Wright, 101-year-old last living original Marine Raider from WWII, recounts his experiences from joining at age 16 after Pearl Harbor through major Pacific campaigns including Guadalcanal, New Georgia, Guam, and Iwo Jima, where he was severely wounded multiple times but survived to become a drill instructor and author.

Summary

Frank Wright, the last living original Marine Raider, shares an extensive account of his World War II service spanning from 1941 to the war's end. He joined the Marine Corps at age 16 by falsifying his birth certificate and gaining weight with bananas to meet the minimum weight requirement, choosing the Marines specifically for their uniform. After boot camp, he was selected as one of four men from his company to join the elite 4th Marine Raider Battalion under the command of President's son Jimmy Roosevelt, who trained the raiders with the explicit motto of 'kill' and taught Wright close-quarters combat techniques using two specific killing blows. Wright's combat deployments included New Georgia (his first combat assignment where he didn't kill anyone but learned valuable lessons), Guadalcanal (where he served as a guard at Henderson Field and witnessed Japanese holdouts), Guam (where he was stabbed with a bayonet in the stomach during a fierce attack but survived), and Iwo Jima (where he took a devastating machine gun blast through his chest and arms that shattered his clavicle and removed muscle from his left arm). Throughout these campaigns, Wright killed at least 17 Japanese soldiers, including his first confirmed kill at age 17 using a hand strike across the throat. He emphasizes the Japanese military's exceptional camouflage skills and describes witnessing the flag-raising on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1942. After being wounded on Iwo Jima, Wright was evacuated to multiple hospitals where his wounds were initially misdiagnosed as 'combat fatigue,' leading to him being placed in psychiatric wards despite severe physical injuries including bleeding in his chest cavity. He later returned to service as a drill instructor for six months and survived to age 101 with a 74-year marriage, eventually writing 'Battles in the Pacific' to preserve the stories of fallen comrades. Wright describes returning to Guam decades later as Grand Marshal of a parade, where he witnessed the profound gratitude and freedom expressed by the people he helped liberate, describing it as seeing 'what freedom looks like' in their eyes. He also reflects on the controversial final operations on Iwo Jima where he and other Marines were ordered to conduct 'clear cuts' of caves containing Japanese women and children, which he struggles with morally but explains as following direct orders in a total war context. Throughout the interview, Wright emphasizes the importance of listening to drill instructors, seeking help when struggling, and honoring fallen comrades' memories.

About this episode

Sergeant Frank S. Wright is a World War II Marine veteran who enlisted at just 16 years old following the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served with the 4th Marine Raiders and fought in major Pacific campaigns including Guadalcanal, New Georgia, Guam, and Iwo Jima, where he was wounded in combat. He later served as a Marine Corps drill instructor and was promoted to Sergeant in 2025 in recognition of his lifelong service and commitment to the Marine Corps. Wright is also the author of Battles of the Pacific: World War II, My Personal War Causing PTSD and My 12 Days in Hell. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: Privacy Isn't Paranoia. It's Protection. Download Glacier - https://theglacierapp.com One thing to pack, five ways to power! Head to https://Ridge.com/SRS for Ridge’s Friends & Family Sale, where you can buy two Ridge Power Banks and get a third FREE. Start learning a new language today with Babbel and save up to 60% at https://babbel.com/SRS Rules and restrictions may apply. The Terminal List Season 2 premieres all 8 episodes on October 21, 2026, exclusively on Prime Video. Upgrade your eyewear at https://roka.com and use code SRS for 20% off sitewide at checkout. Frank Wright Links: Purchase Battles in the Pacific - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WTR6X32 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Key Insights

  • Wright joined the Marines at age 16 by forging a birth certificate and hiding five pounds of bananas in his uniform to meet the minimum weight requirement, suggesting recruiting standards were flexible during wartime recruitment pressure.
  • Jimmy Roosevelt, the president's son who commanded Wright's Raider Battalion, explicitly trained the men with the philosophy that their singular purpose was to 'kill,' not to defend or wound, establishing a ruthless operational doctrine.
  • Wright learned two specific hand-strike techniques for close-quarters killing that he credited with keeping him alive throughout multiple combat engagements, indicating the practical value of specialized close-quarters training.
  • Wright killed his first enemy combatant at age 17 using a hand strike across the throat, demonstrating that the close-quarters techniques were applied by teenagers in actual combat situations.
  • On Iwo Jima, Wright witnessed the famous flag-raising ceremony on February 23, 1942, while recovering from being knocked unconscious by an artillery shell that dislodged his helmet.
  • After being shot by machine gun fire that severed muscles in his left arm and shattered his clavicle on Iwo Jima, military doctors initially recommended amputating his arm, which Wright violently resisted by physically attacking the surgeon.
  • Wright's combat wound was misdiagnosed as 'combat fatigue' on his medical tag, causing him to be placed in psychiatric wards at four different hospitals despite severe physical trauma including blood accumulation in his chest cavity.
  • The blood in Wright's chest cavity from his Iwo Jima wound remained unaddressed at the time and he continued experiencing symptoms (blood in stool) over 75 years later, suggesting incomplete medical treatment for his injuries.
  • On Iwo Jima, Wright participated in 'clear cut' operations where Marines were ordered by a Major General to kill all living beings in cave systems containing Japanese civilians, women, and children—operations Wright describes as terrible but necessary orders he followed.
  • Wright returned to Guam decades after the war and described witnessing the profound expression of freedom and gratitude in the eyes of the people he had helped liberate, which he characterizes as the truest manifestation of what freedom means.
  • Wright emphasizes that Japanese military officials have apologized for kidnapping boys and men during WWII but have never apologized for kidnapping women as 'comfort girls,' leaving this war crime unaddressed diplomatically.
  • Wright advocates that young Marines should unconditionally listen to their drill instructors' training and guidance, and that people experiencing trauma should actively seek help from others rather than attempting to cope alone, based on his own experience with medical misdiagnosis and unaddressed PTSD.

Topics

Marine Corps recruitment and training4th Marine Raider Battalion operationsClose-quarters combat techniquesPacific War campaigns: New Georgia, Guadalcanal, Guam, Iwo JimaCombat injuries and medical treatmentJapanese military tactics and capabilitiesPost-war recovery and rehabilitationFlag-raising ceremony on Iwo JimaReturn to Guam and liberation memoriesMoral complexity of total war combat operationsMilitary discipline and leadershipPTSD and combat trauma recognition

Transcript

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