What happened in this episode?
Shawn Ryan interviews Frank Wright, presented as the last living original Marine Raider from the Second World War, about his enlistment and combat experiences in the Pacific. Wright recalls attempting to join the Marine Corps at 16 after Pearl Harbour, claiming he used a delayed, uncertified birth certificate and improvised ways to meet weight requirements. He describes being selected for the Marine Raiders and attributes a blunt, kill-focused ethos to training led by James Roosevelt, whom he identifies as his Raider officer.
Wright gives graphic first-person accounts of close combat, including his claim that he killed his first enemy at 17 using hand strikes, and an incident on Guam in which he says he was bayoneted before cutting an attacker’s throat. He also recounts Iwo Jima, including being knocked unconscious around the time the US flag was raised, and later being shot across the chest and arm.
The most contentious section concerns Wright’s description of an order he calls ‘clearcut’, which he says meant killing ‘every living thing’ in caves, including women and children. He further alleges, as personal belief, that some US officers also exploited women as ‘comfort girls’.
Separately, Wright describes his post-wounding medical treatment, claiming doctors sought to amputate his arm and that his casualty tag was mistakenly marked ‘combat fatigue’, leading to repeated misplacement in psychiatric wards rather than proper surgical care.
The episode closes with Wright urging younger Marines to listen to trainers and to seek help when they need it, while also arguing that doctors should listen to patients describing their symptoms.
