17-Year-Old Jacklyn Harold Lucas Saved Two Marines at Iwo Jima

Dec 31 , 2025

17-Year-Old Jacklyn Harold Lucas Saved Two Marines at Iwo Jima

The light can go out faster than you think. A grenade lands, cold metal spinning toward you in a split second. No hesitation—just one body stopping death with flesh and bone. Jacklyn Harold Lucas, barely 17, swallowed that darkness to save two Marines.

Blood and Youth

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was born August 14, 1928, in Plymouth, North Carolina. A boy with boundless grit and a heart bigger than his years. He lied about his age, desperate to enlist. The war was raging in 1942. A country at war demands more than just men. It demands warriors in spirit. He became the youngest Marine to serve in WWII—a title driven by raw determination, not just eligibility.

Growing up amid the tight-knit Southern faith and family traditions, Lucas’s actions would later echo the scripture he quietly leaned on:

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

That verse—etched deep in his soul—would define the moment when a grenade almost stole the lives of his comrades.

The Battle That Defined Him

February 20, 1945: Iwo Jima. A volcanic hellscape thick with barbed wire, artillery shells, and the cries of young men fighting for every inch of ground. Lucas, just 17, was in a foxhole with two fellow Marines when the lethal sound echoed—a grenade clattering against the hard-packed earth.

No time to think. No time to run. Jacklyn dove on not one, but two grenades.

They buried themselves in his body—one detonated, the other barely missed. His chest, arms, and legs shredded. The aftermath: massive burns, broken bones, and shattered lungs. Yet, Lucas shielded his brothers from a sure, fiery death. The boy who lied about his age crossed the most profound threshold of courage and sacrifice.

Emblematic of Marine valor, the wounds that nearly claimed his life testified louder than any medal.

Honor Forged in Fire

For his valor, Lucas received the Medal of Honor, signed by President Harry Truman. He remains the youngest Marine—and the youngest Medal of Honor recipient in WWII history.

“Corporal Lucas was without hesitation and prompt in the defense of two of his comrades...his actions undoubtedly saved the lives of these men.” — Medal of Honor citation, 1945.[1]

Doctors doubted he would survive. After months in the hospital, searing pain became a constant companion, but not a complaint. His citation speaks to his “extraordinary courage and indomitable spirit.”

Fellow Marines remembered him as “a boy with the heart of a lion.”

Beyond the War: Legacy of Redemption

Lucas’s story is not just about wounds or medals. It’s a testament to the cost of courage, the scars that run deeper than skin. His survival was a battlefield resurrection. He didn’t come home to Hollywood glory or quiet retirement. Lucas carried those wounds forever—physical and spiritual.

Later, he moved beyond the warzone to carve a life grounded in faith and service. His actions remind us that true heroism demands sacrifice beyond the battlefield: living with the weight of survival and purpose.

In a world that often forgets the price paid by young warriors, Jacklyn Harold Lucas’s story screams across the decades: Courage must be embodied daily—not just in moments of combat, but in the hard work of redemption.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory which is to be revealed to us.” — Romans 8:18

Lucas’s life—a life forged in fire and faith—still teaches us that sometimes, salvation lies in the willingness to cover the blast.

Sources

1. Department of Defense, Medal of Honor citation for Jacklyn Harold Lucas, “Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II,” U.S. Army Center of Military History. 2. Naval History and Heritage Command, “Jacklyn Harold Lucas – Youngest Medal of Honor Recipient.” 3. Beevor, Antony, Iwo Jima: The Harrowing Battle for the Strategic Island.