Photo By Sgt. Haley Fourmet Gustavsen | U.S. Marine Corps 1st Sgt. Daniel D. Poldoski, left, a first sergeant with Combat...... read more read more
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STOCKTON, Calif. - Frank Strait Wright squinted against the bright afternoon sun, his hazel eyes creasing at the corners. A warm, humid breeze blew across his weathered cheek as he gripped his cane with a wrinkled hand. A historic one-story house loomed behind him in the distance while he stood on the edge of a grassy hill, known as Nimitz Hill, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Wright had been invited to the home of U.S. Marine Corps Col. Ernest Govea, who at the time, in February 2025, served as the commanding officer of Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz in Dededo, Guam.
Wright peered down at the beach below, better known as Asan Landing. The waves were calm that day, carrying the smell of saltwater up the hill. However, in July of 1944, they had been ragged, thrashing against a multitude of Marines wading through the water and making their way ashore. As if it were only yesterday, Wright could still remember every vivid detail.
Though he stood among a group engaged in conversation, the chatter was muffled and floated around him instead. His mind drifted to another time, a moment he became immersed in once again.
“Water buffalo were feeding on this area whenever we came in…” he trailed off, staring out at the ocean.
The ground was soggy when nineteen-year-old Wright and the other young Marines with 3rd Marine Division, 21st Marine Regiment, arrived in Guam. Soaked through with sweat and saltwater, their solid green utility uniforms clung to their aching bodies as they trudged through the mushy land.
It was like walking through a field of rice, the Arkansas native had thought.
Since December 1941, Imperial Japanese forces had occupied Guam, subjecting the island and its people, the Chamorros, to more than three years of brutal rule.
“Guam, being a U.S. territory, is the only time in U.S. history that a foreign force occupied American land for a prolonged period,” said Col. Govea, now the Chief of Staff at Marine Corps Installation West. “You had Japanese occupying that territory, and the Japanese did horrific things at the time to the people there.”
After four tireless days of trying to reach higher ground under a continuous assault of enemy fire, the Marines finally found themselves with a moment of peace beneath a blanket of stars during the early morning hours.
They had settled themselves along a low ridge carved out of a sandstone cliff. The mosquitoes buzzed. The tanks hummed. The world breathed in and out. For a short bit, all was quiet.
A bright-eyed Wright reached his hand, dark with soot and dirt, to wipe the heavy rain that had begun to fall out of his eyes. Up on the line, Marines huddled under their ponchos in their wet foxholes.
Then suddenly, the world was no longer humming, but it was screaming and spinning uncontrollably, turning into a hazy, violent cloud of smoke, dust, confusion, and fire, all spiraling skyward.
“Banzai! Banzai! Marine, you die,” a shrill voice rang out among the explosions.
Wright jumped immediately out of his foxhole, slipping against the wet earth. His heart became a pounding drum in his chest, but he wasn’t scared. Maybe he should have been, but he wasn’t.
Relying on his training, Wright fired his rifle, killing one enemy after another. His eyes widened as he saw the sheer number of Japanese soldiers approaching. The wailing around him rose to a deafening volume. His world became a slaughterhouse.
Just as another enemy charged towards him, Wright took a slow breath, the putrid smell of death and gunpowder burning his nostrils. He raised his weapon, aiming it at his opponent. And just as he squeezed the trigger… click. Out of ammunition.
The soldier barreled into him, a blade piercing his stomach. They crashed to the ground. Grappling fiercely, Wright struggled until a nearby Marine shot the attacker. The soldier slumped onto Wright, pinning him down. In one swift motion, he reached for his Gung Ho knife and slit the rival’s throat, successfully ending the threat. He felt the blood of the soldier begin to seep through his own uniform.
“That had turned out to be the largest banzai attack in the South Pacific that day,” Wright said, 81 years later, during an interview.
After 18 relentless days, Guam had finally been liberated from Japanese control.
“In Guam, they call Frank’s generation the manamko, meaning ‘greatest generation.’ He’s part of the generation that gave us the values of honor, courage and commitment,” said Govea. “You hear about Chesty Puller, Dan Daly, Smedley Butler, but Frank? He’s still living. We can actually hear his voice telling us these stories.”
Now at 100 years old, Frank Wright is not just a veteran of the fiercest battles in the Pacific, but he continues to serve as a Marine by inspiring those around him.
In 2024, Guam celebrated its 80th anniversary of liberation, where Wright was also deemed the Grand Liberator by Governor Leon Guerrero.
“If you really wanna see what freedom looks like, look into the eyes of the people that were liberated in Guam,” said Wright, his voice thick with emotion.
But long before Wright would ever be honored as a warrior, he was once just a hot-headed teenager who worked at a local bowling alley, earning only two dollars a night.
Enraged by the attack on Pearl Harbor, at only 16 years old, Wright lied about his age and used his brother’s birthday to join the Marine Corps in January 1942.
Later that year, he was selected to join the elite 4th Marine Raider Battalion, a specialized unit known for its intense combat operations in the Pacific. While assigned to the 4th Marine Raiders, he would go on to see action in the New Georgia campaign and to fight in the Battle of Guadalcanal. During this time, he also served under the command of Jimmy Roosevelt, the son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Though the 4th Marine Raiders were disbanded in 1944, it has since evolved into a modern special operations unit within the Marine Forces Special Operations Command, specializing in unconventional warfare and direct action missions.
“The 4th Raiders were the most lethal and most trained unit in the Marine Corps,” said Wright. “Every place we went, one island to the next, we trained.”
On one of the days that the unit was relocating, Wright pulled out his sea bag, packing it full with two days' worth of rations. At the top of the bag was where he kept a few of his personal items, including a very worn photo album.
Wright stopped packing. Instead, he sat down and cracked open the old album. He flipped through photos of his family, their smiling faces forever etched into his memory. His fingers hovered over the pages, a pang of homesickness striking his heart.
As he continued flipping through the pages, he studied a collection of new photos he had recently added to the album. Wright’s mouth tugged upwards in a smile. One of the photos was of him and a group of Marines sitting crossed-legged on the hood of a car, playing poker. It occurred to him that even in the bleakest of moments, there was always the chance for a lasting memory to be made.
Wright’s final combat action in the war took place while assigned to 3/21 at the Battle of Iwo Jima in February 1945. He had witnessed the iconic flag raising on Mount Suribachi.
“The horns and the bells on all the ships at sea were blowing and ringing,” recalled Wright with a glimmer in his eye. “Everybody was just having a good hurrah.”
During the fighting, he was wounded by machine gun fire while charging up a hill. The bullets entered through his right side and exited through his left arm, cracking his clavicle and puncturing his lung, causing him to be medically evacuated.
By the end of the war, Wright was recognized for valor in combat with the Purple Heart with two stars, Presidential Unit Citation with two stars, Navy Unit Commendation, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign with three stars, Fleet Marine Force with four stars, Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, Combat Action with four stars, World War II Victory Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.
“The Marine Corps taught me not to be afraid, to always use my training and to always listen to your leaders. They've been there and done that,” said Wright, “And I still try to teach this to others.”
One of his pupils that he continues to teach to this day is retired Gunnery Sgt. Marvin Hernandezgarcia. Having retired from the Marine Corps in 2015, Hernandezgarcia stumbled across the Stockton Marine Corps Club, which is how he would come to meet Wright at a military ball.
“When I met Frank and his wife, Kathryn, I was in my dress blues. He immediately came and talked to me,” reminisced Hernandezgarcia. “Later that night, he took my wife by the hand to take her dancing, and then after that, she wouldn't even dance with me anymore.”
From then on, their connection with one another only grew. Later on, during a Victory Day ceremony, Hernandezgarcia noticed something: Wright felt left out. He no longer had his pristine Marine Corps dress blues. Without hesitation, Hernandezgarcia took action, having Wright measured and driving him to Los Angeles to present him with a brand-new set.
“He wants to wear them everywhere now,” Hernandezgarcia said with a smile.
But everything changed in 2020, when Wright’s wife of 74 years, Kathryn, passed away. She used to send them off with a cheerful, “Okay, boys, y’all be safe.” Now, there was only silence. Wright became withdrawn, subdued.
Despite the heavy loss, Wright believed there was a reason he was still here and that he was where the Lord wanted him to be. He wanted to share his story with others.
Wright has now published two novels, “Battles in the Pacific: World War II, My Personal War Causing PTSD,” and “Iwo Jima: My Twelve Days in Hell - A Memoir.”
In recognition of his active service to his community, Gen. Eric M. Smith, 39th Commandant of the Marine Corps, approved an honorary promotion from corporal to sergeant.
Brig. Gen. Matthew Good, the Assistant Division Commander of 3rd Marine Division, aided in pushing for the promotion having written to Wright, saying, “From the moment I met you in the sweltering heat of Guam, during the 80th anniversary of the island’s liberation, I knew I was looking into the eyes of a man who forged the reputation that I - and hundreds of thousands of others bask in - and feel compelled to live up to daily. You are a Marine who not only overcame more than a few obstacles to be of service to our Corps during a time of war, but who has continued to serve long after the war has ended. We owe you much more than just this promotion. We will not let you down.”
The honorary promotion ceremony took place on Aug. 31, 2025, during the 28th annual Toys for Tots drive in Stockton, California. The sun shone on all the chipper faces who showed up to witness the historic moment.
Govea, the promoting officer, stood to give a few words before commencing the ceremony.
In a clear voice, Govea said, “The first thing Frank asked me was, ‘How do I get my back pay?’”
A wave of laughter erupted amongst the crowd.
“The Marine Corps is getting ready to celebrate its 250 years in November. There is a legacy that Frank leads and so many others here who have earned the title United States Marine,” Govea continued, speaking into the microphone. “You're an inspiration, because not only are you a good human being and a good person, but you're always a good Marine.”
Gary Prost, a district representative for California State Senator Jerry McNerney, was also present for the ceremony, later stating, “Frank is an embodiment of the history of the Marine Corps. We are very lucky to have him here in our community, continuing to be an active legacy.”
Wright had been waiting for this moment for 82 years. As he stepped forward to be pinned, he remained stoic, exhibiting the bearing and discipline a Marine is taught to have. But inside, his stomach somersaulted. His chest swelled as the sergeant ranks were placed on the collar of his WWII-era utilities.
“Frank is enjoying life to the fullest. And why not? He's 100 years old,” later reflected Govea. “I think that's the other lesson: War-fighting is a serious business, and you can’t go through this life without a sense of humor. We should try to enjoy and celebrate life, and that’s what I get from Frank.”
Newly promoted U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Frank “Whippersnapper” Wright says, “I am a Marine. Not was. Am.”
| Date Taken: | 08.31.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.03.2025 18:20 |
| Story ID: | 547181 |
| Location: | STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | ARKADELPHIA, ARKANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 2,569 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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