Better late than never
A former Marine Raider who lied about his age to get into WWII wants a birthday card for his 100th.
Frank S. Wright has lived a life. At 16, as World War II raged, he lied about his age and joined the Marine Corps, entering into the ranks of legends as a Marine Raider in the Pacific. He fought at Guadalcanal. He was bayonetted (sic) in the stomach while liberating Guam. He was shot in the chest and arm at the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Now Wright has a request: He wants 100,000 birthday cards when he turns 100 on July 5.
Sounds reasonable to me. Seems the Stockton paper published this last month, but few picked it up. Gonna be a stretch to get another 99,578 in three days.
As of Tuesday, Wright had received 422 birthday cards, said retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. Marvin HernandezGarcia, commander of American Legion Karl Ross Post 16 in Stockton, California.
HernandezGarcia said he first met Wright nine years ago shortly after becoming commander of the Stockton Marine Corps Club. The two instantly bonded when Wright saw HernandezGarcia wearing his Marine Corps Dress Blues uniform, and they began meeting almost every week.
At 16, Wright lied about his age to enlist in the Marine Corps in January 1942, according to the Amazon summary of his first book: “Battles in the Pacific: World War II, My Personal War Causing PTSD.” By the end of World War II, his military awards included the Purple Heart with two stars, Presidential Unit Citation with two stars, Navy Unit Commendation, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign with three service stars, Fleet Marine Force with four stars, Marine Corps Expedition Medal, Combat Action with four stars, Victory Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal.
He initially served in the 4th Raider Battalion, one of the Marine units that is often credited as the U.S. military’s first special operations forces, explaining that he joined the battalion because the Raiders were “the best fighting outfit” in the Marine Corps at the time.
And the joys of serving – the article tells how he fought hand-to-hand, got bayoneted, was on the wrong end of Japanese machine gun fire – he sound like a walking pincushion.
After World War II, Wright left the Marines as a corporal, but Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith has recommended Wright for an honorary promotion to sergeant, Smith said in a statement to Task & Purpose.
“Recommending Frank for this honorary promotion was an easy decision,” Smith said. “He is a proud veteran of the famed Marine Raiders. His courageous service during the Pacific Campaign, including at historic battles like Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, has firmly cemented his place in the legacy of the Corps. We are immensely proud to call Frank one of our own and wish him a happy 100th birthday.”
Hope the promotion comes through soon!
Anyone who wants to send Wright a birthday card can mail them to the following address: Frank S. Wright, Stockton Marine Corps Club, PO BOX 691045, Stockton, CA 95269-1045. Task and Purpose
