Cpl Frank Wright, USMC, World War II, Hand-to-Hand Fighting on Guam

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.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Wright shares his story of landing on Guam, fighting off Japanese Banzai charges, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat that would very likely be a fight to the death. Wright also takes us moment-by-moment through a hand-to-hand fight where he was stabbed by a bayonet and not only lived to tell about it, but kept fighting until Guam was secure.

In a future episode, we will bring you Frank Wright's story of service on Iwo Jima.