Jack Lucas the 17-Year-Old Medal of Honor Marine at Iwo Jima

Jan 01 , 2026

Jack Lucas the 17-Year-Old Medal of Honor Marine at Iwo Jima

Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr. was no more than a boy when he bled for his brothers. Barely seventeen, reckless in the righteous fury of youth. Two grenades hurled near him—no hesitation. Two explosions swallowed his body, but he refused to fall until every man near him lived. That moment burned him into history.

Background & Faith: A Boy Against the Storm

Born in 1928, in Plymouth, North Carolina, Jack Lucas carried a fighter’s heart before he even knew the cost of war. Raised by a strict family, he learned early the weight of responsibility and honor. A rough upbringing reinforced by deep Christian faith—a grip that held him steady through pain.

“God gives courage in the darkest moments,” he’d later say. His mother’s prayers and the sermons in their small town planted a seed of resolve. When he lied about his age to join the Marines, it was never about glory. It was about a calling—protecting those who could not protect themselves.

The Battle That Defined Him: Iwo Jima, February 1945

Iwo Jima was hell carved into volcanic ash and steel. The island screamed under artillery and flame. Jack served in the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division—a raw recruit caught in the maw of the fiercest battle in the Pacific.

Less than two weeks into the fighting, now 17 years and 4 months old, fate collided with fury. During a firefight, two live grenades landed near his squad’s foxhole. Without pause, Lucas threw himself on the grenades—one in each hand—absorbing the blasts to shield his comrades.

His body shattered: 21 pieces of shrapnel ripped through him, both hands mangled, his face badly burned. Yet he lived.

A Marine officer later said, “He may be the youngest Marine to ever earn the Medal of Honor, but his courage belongs to all Marines.”

Recognition: The Medal of Honor and Brotherhood’s Voice

Jack Lucas received the Medal of Honor on October 17, 1945, from President Harry Truman. At 17, still a child by any reckoning, he stood as a titan of sacrifice. The citation immortalized his valor:

“By his extraordinary valor and unwavering spirit, Private Lucas saved the lives of three fellow Marines and inspired those around him.”

Other medals followed—the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star—but it was the Medal of Honor that burned brightest.

In his quiet moments, Lucas shunned the spotlight, crediting God and his mates. He told journalists, “I didn’t do it to be a hero. I did it because I had to.”

Legacy & Lessons: Courage Beyond Blood

Jack Lucas’s story isn’t just about a boy who covered grenades. It’s about the raw essence of sacrifice—a choice to give everything for brotherhood, without certainty or regard for self. His scars, both physical and spiritual, echo the true cost of war.

He carried his battle wounds like a cross, a testament to the human spirit’s endurance and redemption. Romans 12:1 rings true: “...present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.”

Today, veterans look to his example—a reminder courage doesn’t wait for age. Civilians glimpse the weight of freedom’s price in his story.

Jack Lucas is a name carved into the annals of valor, but more than that—he is a beacon of what it means to bear the battle scars for those left behind.

In war’s shadow, he became light.

Sources

1. Schrier, A. (1993). Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty. Johns Hopkins University Press. 2. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Jacklyn Lucas Medal of Honor Citation. 3. Owens, M. (2005). Iwo Jima and the Marines Who Fought There. Military History Quarterly.