Oral History Interview with William W. Wright, October 18, 2002

Oral History Interview with William W. Wright, October 18, 2002

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Track One 1:50:19

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William W. Wright. He was born in Arlington, Virginia on 15 July 1918 and joined the Marine Corps Reserve in May 1938, receiving his commission in October 1941. In February 1942 he was sent to Camp Lejeune as the Executive Officer of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division. Wright recalls boarding the MS John Ericsson in San Francisco and sailing to Wellington, New Zealand where they transferred cargo to the USS McCawley (APA-4) and practiced amphibious landings. He landed in the second wave at Guadalcanal on 7 … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 50 min., 18 sec.)

Creation Information

Redman, D. K. October 18, 2002.

Context

This audio recording is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this recording can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Redman, D. K.

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William W. Wright. He was born in Arlington, Virginia on 15 July 1918 and joined the Marine Corps Reserve in May 1938, receiving his commission in October 1941. In February 1942 he was sent to Camp Lejeune as the Executive Officer of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division. Wright recalls boarding the MS John Ericsson in San Francisco and sailing to Wellington, New Zealand where they transferred cargo to the USS McCawley (APA-4) and practiced amphibious landings. He landed in the second wave at Guadalcanal on 7 August 1942 and his battalion guarded against a Japanese landing. Wright recounts his involvement in action over the ensuing months during which he was awarded the Silver Star. On 15 December 1942 he sailed to Brisbane, Australia where his unit was bivouacked for two weeks before an infestation of mosquitoes forced them to move to Melbourne. On 30 December 1943 his company participated in the landing at Cape Gloucester. He describes his experiences on New Britain and then recalls that he was transferred back to Camp Lejeune on 30 January 1944 where he spent the next year training recruits. When the war ended, he volunteered for duty in the 3rd Amphibious Corps as Commanding Officer of a Military Police company in Tinsen, China charged with accepting the surrender of Japanese forces in that area. In June 1950 Wright was recalled to active duty as a company commander in the 1st Marine Division, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines and took part in the landing at Inchon and subsequently at Wanson. He describes his involvement at the Chosin Reservoir and then taking ill and being evacuated to a hospital in Japan before returning to the States and resigning from the Marine Corps.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 50 min., 18 sec.)

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Sound

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this recording in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH00823
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1608084

Relationships

Oral History Interview with William W. Wright, October 18, 2002, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1604272

Collections

This recording is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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