17-Year-Old Jacklyn Lucas Earned the Medal of Honor at Iwo Jima

Nov 12 , 2025

17-Year-Old Jacklyn Lucas Earned the Medal of Honor at Iwo Jima

Just 17 years old, bloodied and broken, he dove on grenades with bare hands. The raw fire of war hammered his body but never crushed his soul. Jacklyn Harold Lucas didn’t just fight for survival—he fought to save lives, to shield brothers-in-arms from death. And in that searing moment, the youngest Marine to ever earn the Medal of Honor was born.

Background & Faith

Born in 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio, Jacklyn Lucas was a boy pulled early into manhood. His father, a steelworker and World War I veteran, forged a warrior’s grit in him. But it was the Bible that became his grounding force. Lucas carried a worn New Testament into battle, a lifeline amid the chaos.

His faith was a quiet armor—soft words in a sea of violence. Psalm 18:2 rang true in his heart:

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.”

Running away from home at 14 to join the Navy, then switching to the Marines, Lucas showed a stubborn hunger to serve on the front lines—a hunger fueled by conviction, honor, and youthful resolve.

The Battle That Defined Him

Iwo Jima. February 1945. The volcanic island turned hellscape. One of the bloodiest fights of the Pacific Campaign. Lucas was only 17, yet he shouldered a burden heavier than most men twice his age.

During two separate moments on the battlefield, grenades were thrown among his unit—he covered them with his own body to save dozens. The first blast mangled his chest and hands. The second shattered his legs and wrist.

He should have died there.

While surgeons fought to hold him, Lucas remained lucid, sharp, defiant. His actions weren’t desperate gambles. They were utter self-sacrifice—the purest form of brotherhood. The raw guts and love for his fellow Marines eclipsed fear and pain.

Recognition

Lucas was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman on June 28, 1945. At 17, he remains the youngest Marine—and second youngest serviceman ever—to receive this highest recognition. The citation reads stark and unvarnished:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty... He deliberately threw himself on two separate occasion on hand grenades, absorbing the explosions with his own body and thereby saving his comrades from death or serious injury.”

Commanders and fellow Marines spoke of Lucas’s humility. He rarely boasted, often deferring credit to his squadmates. His scars, both visible and unseen, told the truest story.

Medals included the Purple Heart, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal.

Legacy & Lessons

Jacklyn Harold Lucas carried his wounds like a silent sermon. The cost of courage was seared deeply. He once said, “I didn’t feel like a hero. I was just a kid doing what anyone would do for their brothers.” That humility forged a legacy far stronger than any medal.

His story sears into the soul: heroism isn’t about glory, but sacrifice. Real courage isn’t the absence of fear—but the choice to face it for something sacred.

His life’s journey after the war was no less thorny—battles with trauma, pain, and reconciliation. Yet Lucas lived by faith, hope, and redemption. His scars became a testament not to agony but to endurance.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses...” — Hebrews 4:15

Today, Jacklyn Harold Lucas’s story stands as a blood-stained beacon—a reminder that the youngest and smallest among us can wield courage mightier than the fiercest guns. The battlefield scars fade, but the call to serve, sacrifice, and redeem echoes across generations.