Lodi vet unable to attend event commemorating battle of Iwo Jima
Mar. 29—A Lodi resident who fought at the Battle of Iwo Jima was planning to attend an 80th anniversary trip to the island this week, but his plans were cut short after a dizzy spell.
U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Marvin Hernandez Garcia and cameraman Michael Cockrell were escorting 99-year-old Frank Wright back to Iwo Jima for the 80th Reunion of Honor as part of an outing put together by the Iwo Jima Association of America and Military Historical Tours.
On Thursday, the trio was in Guam waiting for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to join the excursion, which included six other veterans who fought at Iwo Jima during World War II.
In a social media post Friday, Hernandez Garcia said Wright was able to meet Hegseth and even embrace, but shortly afterward the Lodian began feeling lightheaded.
Hernandez Garcia said he gave Wright water and doctors and nurses then began swarming. He said Wright looked dizzy, bu the veteran insisted he was fine.
Wright was taken to an air-conditioned room where doctors took his pulse, but could not find anything wrong, Hernandez Garcia said.
Then EMTs arrived, gave Wright an EKG and cleared him. He and Wright took a walk outside, and another doctor said it would be good to go to an emergency room to make sure there was nothing wrong.
Hernandez Garcia took Wright to the ER, where again, his vitals were checked and he was cleared.
"They said he was just dehydrated and to make sure he kept hydrating and the doctor that saw him said she didn't see an issue with Frank flying to Iwo Jima," he said. "I get a call from Michael who tells me they had made the decision to drop Frank and that only one of us escorts could go on the trip."
Hernandez Garcia said he spoke with someone in charge of the tour, who responded "that the decision was made and there was nothing that could be done," and that doctors at the hangar where they met Hegseth had advised Wright not to go to Iwo Jima.
On Friday, Hernandez Garcia tried to plead Wright's case, and said he was told that the other veterans on the trip "were not heat casualties."
"We talked back and forth and I was even told that the temperature in Iwo Jima is 110 degrees and that the Military History Tours would not take the risk to take him like that," he said.
Hernandez Garcia asked the staff what would happen if one of the other six became ill, and was told that none of them had passed out on Thursday.
He said Wright never passed out, but was merely lightheaded and dehydrated.
"He stated once again that it didn't matter as he wasn't going to risk it," he said. "That it was their policy that if something like that happens, they wouldn't take an older Vet to Iwo Jima."
Hernandez Garcia suggested the trio sign waivers releasing MHT of any liability, and was met with another rejection.
Born in Arkadelphia, Ark., Wright enlisted with the United States Marine Corps in 1942 at the age of 16 and fought in battles throughout the Pacific Theater during the war, including at Iwo Jima, where he witnessed the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi, which has since been memorialized in Joe Rosenthal's photograph that has become synonymous with victory for American armed forces.
An original member of the Marine Corps' Raiders special forces unit, he was wounded in the stomach by a bayonet while recapturing Guam, and was shot in the chest and arm by machine gun fire on the island of Iwo Jima.
Wright was awarded the Purple Heart with two stars, the Presidential Unit Citation with two stars, Navy Unit Commendation, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign with three service stars, the Fleet Marine Force with four stars, the Marine Corps Expedition Medal, the Combat Action Medal with four stars, the Victory Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.
He is believed to be one of the three last surviving members of the Raiders, and penned a memoir about his experiences in 2019 entitled "Battles in the Pacific."
"So, now I have a heartbroken hero that can't believe he is being treated like that," Hernadez Garcia said. "He even states he can still make his own decisions and how he regrets listening to me and having gone to the ER."
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