Hugh Doran Fricks was born 19 January 1921 in Memphis, Shelby county, Tennessee to Lunsford Dickson and Grace E. (Beene); he had two older brothers. The family was in Washington in 1930 and Montana by 1940. He attended Franklin High School and then the University of Washington. He was a boxer and graduated the Class of 1938. Hugh enlisted in the US Marine Corps in September 1940 and served as an enlisted man in Iceland. On 15 June 1942, he received his commission and was shipped out to the Pacific Theater.

1Lt Hugh Doran Fricks (service number 0-011196) was assigned to the 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division when they landed on the Solomon Islands where he was cited for not losing a single man in his command. Following Guadalcanal, his unit was shipped to New Zealand for R&R but 1Lt. Fricks spent his time in the hospital due to malaria. After discharge, he was with his brothers during Operation Galvanic, one of the bloodiest battles in corps history. Next was the Gilbert Islands where he conducted various reconnaissance and directed machinegun fire. He continued this until hit by a grenade; mortally wounding him. 2nd Lt. Hugh Fricks died 23 November 1943 and is listed on the Court of the Missing (with rosette indicating his body was recovered) Honolulu.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

SOURCES: Find-a-Grave; Ancestry.com; HonorStates.com