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 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.
“I’d like to have the children know more about World War II,” Wright told Task & Purpose recently. “This makes the teachers begin to talk to them about it.”
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.
“Over time, Frank became the grandfather I never had,” HernandezGarcia said. “He calls me almost every day — just to check in or to ask about the schedule.”
Wright came up with the idea last month during a steak barbecue, said HernandezGarcia, who quickly posted a video on Facebook of Wright asking for the birthday cards. In the video, Wright says: “If it gets up to a million, I’ve got a guy here that can post them all. Oorah!”
The Record newspaper in Stockton, California, first reported last month that Wright hopes to get 100,000 cards for his 100th birthday.
“I have enough room for them,” Wright told Task & Purpose, “And I love to read.”
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.
Wright spoke in a matter-of-fact manner when recalling how he had been bayoneted during hand-to-hand fighting at the battle for Guam.
“I tripped and a [Japanese soldier] stabbed me in the stomach as I was going down and then fell on top of me,” Wright said.
Later, the fighting at Iwo Jima was “hell,” said Wright, whose second book is about his experiences during the battle.
“It was hand-to-hand fighting from the day we arrived to the day I left,” Wright said. “It was hard all the way through.”
While charging up a hill on Iwo Jima, Wright was shot in the chest and arm by Japanese machine gun fire.
“So, that’s the reason I got so many holes in me,” Wright quipped.
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.”
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.
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