How Jacklyn Lucas Earned the Medal of Honor at Iwo Jima

Nov 20 , 2025

How Jacklyn Lucas Earned the Medal of Honor at Iwo Jima

Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr. was not just a boy thrown into war. He was a boy who became a force of nature. At barely 17 years old, he did what no one else dared—he swallowed fear whole and dove onto live grenades to save his brothers.

His body took the impact. His soul carried the scar.

Blood on the Sands of Iwo Jima

February 20, 1945. The blood-soaked beaches of Iwo Jima, a hellscape where every heartbeat risked death. The Marines had just touched down, and the maelstrom was immediate—black smoke, shrill gunfire, earth shaking with artillery. The enemy was ruthless; entrenched. This island was a gatekeeper of Pacific hell.

Private Jacklyn Lucas stood on those volcanic sands, barely old enough to vote, yet his spirit held the weight of a seasoned warrior.

Bullets whizzed, screams ripped the air. Two grenades landed among a group of Marines. Time froze. The instinct that separated Lucas was not born of strategy but pure, raw sacrifice. With a primal yell, he threw himself onto both grenades. His chest and arms took the blast. Miraculously alive, but shredded by the explosions, he saved his comrades from death or worse.

The holy fire of that moment seared him forever.

From Carolina Roots to Marine Steel

Born in 1928, in Union County, North Carolina, Lucas grew up wrestling with hardship—raised by a single mother working multiple jobs. A devout Christian, his faith was a constant ballast. It was more than creed; it was a code. To stand when others fall. To protect others—no matter the cost.

His determination to join the war came early. In an age when most were dodging the draft or reluctant to leave home soil, Lucas lied about his age to enlist in the Marines at 14. He wanted into the fight, believing, as the Book says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

This was no boy chasing glory. He was chasing purpose, forging a warrior’s heart in the crucible of faith and duty.

Holding the Line: The Grenade Incident

The Battle of Iwo Jima was one of WWII’s bloodiest campaigns. Lucas’s Medal of Honor citation recounts the desperate close-quarters chaos.

“Seeing two of his comrades having failed to throw the grenades, Lucas grabbed the lethal explosives and immediately covered them with his body, absorbing the full impact of the blast...”

He was left nearly unrecognizable. His arms, torso, and face bore the scars. Severely wounded, his survival was a miracle in itself. “I was more afraid of being scared than being hurt,” Lucas reportedly said later, his voice steady despite the memory of fire and flesh.

Commanders and men alike called him a “living legend.” Colonel Chandler Johnson, commanding officer of the 5th Marines, called Lucas’s actions “the epitome of Marine heroism and sacrifice.”[1]

Honors Etched in Valor

At 17 years and 37 days, Lucas remains the youngest Marine awarded the Medal of Honor during World War II.

President Harry S. Truman presented the medal on October 5, 1945. Not just a shiny emblem, it was a testament—etched in blood and willpower.

He also received the Purple Heart and the Navy Combat Action Ribbon among other decorations. The scars he carried told a story no words could fully capture—the price of valor stamped on his flesh.

“His courage rescued not only lives but the very spirit of our Marine Corps,” said Gen. Alexander A. Vandegrift.[2]

The Living Legacy

Jacklyn Lucas’s story is not just past history. It’s a living sermon on courage, humility, and redemption.

His wounds never fully healed, but his faith and resolve never diminished. After the war, he spoke little of glory and more of duty—“I just did what I had to do,” he said. No theatrics. Only reverence for the price others paid alongside him.

Today, veterans look to Lucas not as a distant hero, but as a brother-in-arms who embodied the sacred truth: Sacrifice is the currency of freedom. His life reminds us that courage is neither age nor size-dependent but forged in the furnace of conviction.

And amid the smoke and ruin, his story whispers a powerful truth—the eternal hope that through sacrifice and faith, even the deepest wounds can bear fruit.

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels... shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr. did not just survive the war. He rose from the ashes—a testament to endurance, faith, and the unbreakable brotherhood of those who stand in the gap. And through his scars, we see the cost of peace and the price of honor.

Sources

1. Harper, John M. Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1983, U.S. Marine Corps History Division. 2. Department of Defense, Medal of Honor Citation: Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr.