Isaac W. Wright was born on 15 July 1922 in DeQueen, Sevier County, Arkansas to Harry and Lilly Mae Wright.

Isaac grew up on his father's farm outside of DeQueen. He was the second youngest son of 11 children. As a young boy growing up in the Great Depression, he lived with his older siblings John, Alec, and Opal, and his younger siblings Alvin and Bertie (called "Babe" because she was the youngest). He attended grammar school and high school at DeQueen schools.

After his second year of high school, he left school in 1938 to join the Civilian Conservation Corps in order to help earn money for the family; he was only 16. He was assigned to CCC Company 742 at Camp Shady, near Mena, Arkansas. While there, he received training in carpentry and worked on building the Lake Shady area; he often returned to the DeQueen area to visit family and friends while on leave.

He was well liked by his friends, and was nicknamed "Squeaky". Isaac lost his job when the CCC was disbanded by the US government in June 1942, and soon received his draft notice. He voluntarily enlisted in the United States Army on November 10, 1942.

He completed Basic Training at Camp Roberts, California, and was assigned the occupational specialty of infantry and was sent to Pennsylvania to prepare to deploy to the European theater.

He arrived in Tunisia, North Africa in March 1943 and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, of the 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One). He saw his first combat in the final stages of the Tunisian campaign, and also took part in the amphibious landings at Sicily, part of Operation Husky.

After over a month of fighting, Isaac's Division was ordered to England to begin training for the eventual invasion of mainland Europe. He and his unit trained hard for the first six months of 1944.

On June 5, 1944, the 18th Infantry embarked on the largest amphibious invasion in world history, Operation Overlord. By the following morning, June 6, Isaac and his fellow soldiers watched from their landing craft as their sister regiment, the 16th Infantry, started the first wave. Later in the morning, the 18th received orders to make the landing.

The unit went ashore on the Easy Red sector of Omaha Beach, what would turn out to be the bloodiest beach of the entire operation. Isaac and his comrades moved among countless fallen soldiers in red water as they made their way to the E-1 exit. This section of the beach was still under heavy indirect fire. It was at this time that Isaac was severely wounded by this indirect fire. Though he was initially treated at his battalion aid station, he ultimately succumbed to his wounds.

He was buried at what is now the St. Laurent-sur-Mer American Military Cemetery.

His awards and decorations include the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the African-Mediterranean-European Campaign Medal with Arrowhead device, and the World War II Victory Medal.

Isaac's best friend, Melvin, wrote a letter of comfort to the family after learning of Isaac's death. In it, he wrote, "Everyone is called home by the Lord, but I just don't know why some of us are called home so early".