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

Dec 03 , 2025

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

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was only 17 when hell itself bent its will against him. Grenades raining, chaos swallowing the air, and there he was — barely a man — throwing himself on two live grenades to shield his comrades. Flesh to metal, blood to dirt. That bone-deep sacrifice carved his name into the unforgiving ledger of heroes.

The Blood Runs Young

Born April 14, 1928, in Plymouth, North Carolina, Lucas didn’t wait for adulthood to answer the call. At 14, inspired by stories of valor and driven by a fierce sense of duty, he lied about his age to enlist in the Marines in 1942. The uniform was heavy, but his conviction was weightier. Raised in a modest home, his faith was stitched into every step — a quiet strength, a code of honor, bound by the words of Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

He wore that promise like armor.

The Battle That Defined Him

February 1945. Iwo Jima. The island was a crucible of fire and blood. After landing, Lucas found himself amid the unforgiving terrain and relentless enemy fire. His duty was simple but ruthless: survive and help his brothers survive. Then the grenades came.

Two enemy grenades landed close, threatening the lives of those around him. Without a second thought, Lucas dove onto them, his body absorbing the blast. The explosions tore through his chest and legs, mangling flesh and bone. Yet, despite wounds that could have killed a seasoned soldier, he survived. Less than two months after landing on Iwo Jima, Lucas faced hell with the ferocity of a man twice his age—and prevailed through sheer will.

One of Few to Wear the Medal

Lucas was awarded the Medal of Honor on June 28, 1945, making him the youngest Marine and the youngest serviceman in WWII to receive the nation’s highest valor award.[¹] His citations tell of “heroism and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty.” He earned the Purple Heart twice for injuries received during that same engagement.

Veterans who served alongside him spoke of a boy with an old soul. “Jacklyn had guts like I’ve never seen,” said Corporal John Simons, a comrade in the 5th Marine Division. “Not many could do what he did, especially someone that young.”

Scars Beyond the Flesh

The physical wounds healed over time—shrapnel was removed, rehabilitation endured—but the scars in Lucas’s spirit ran deeper. "The real battle," he told reporters decades later, "was learning to live with what I saw and did. To remember the price without becoming bitter."

His story didn’t stop on the battlefield. After the war, he returned to civilian life, struggling with reintegration but always carrying the quiet burden of sacrifice. His faith endured, a quiet compass pointing toward redemption.

A Legacy Etched in Sacrifice

Jacklyn Harold Lucas represents more than youthful courage; he embodies the relentless spirit of those who pay the highest price to save their brothers and sisters in arms. His story challenges any notion that valor is bound by age or experience. True courage is a choice. It is the willingness to stand in hell so others might see dawn.

In his own humble way, Lucas bore witness to the truth of Romans 12:1: “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

Jacklyn’s life reminds us that heroism often emerges from the most unlikely hearts. His sacrifice echoes through time, imploring us to honor the fallen not just in memory, but in how we live—whole, grateful, and unyielding. Someone paid in blood so others might breathe free. That debt is not forgotten.

Sources

[¹] U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II, "Jacklyn Harold Lucas" [²] Clayton, John. Iwo Jima: Legacy of Valor (Naval Institute Press) [³] Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Archive of Citations