Jacklyn H. Lucas, Youngest Marine Awarded Medal of Honor at Iwo Jima

Nov 03 , 2025

Jacklyn H. Lucas, Youngest Marine Awarded Medal of Honor at Iwo Jima

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was barely a man when he swallowed fear and spit out heroism. At 17, a kid by any measure, he stood shoulder to shoulder with grizzled Marines on the blood-soaked sands of Iwo Jima. When two grenades bounced near his squad, he did what no one else could—he threw himself over them. Flesh, bone, and iron met fire. He survived.

Boy, Marine, Warrior

Born in 1928, Jacklyn Harold Lucas grew up in North Carolina, a restless youth chasing purpose. The son of a working-class family, he was drawn to the Marines like a moth to flame—a crucible of discipline and grit.

Lucas lied about his age to enlist in 1942, driven not just by duty, but by a powerful, quiet faith. Raised with a steady moral compass, he carried scripture in his heart, shaping his sense of sacrifice. This wasn’t a kid seeking glory. He believed in the cross before the medal.

The Firestorm of Iwo Jima

February 1945. The volcanic island of Iwo was hell incarnate. Black ash churned with gunfire, the air thick with smoke and screams.

Lucas was with Company C, 1st Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division. Barely a few weeks on the island, he had already tasted the bitter grind of combat. The Marines clawed forward under relentless fire.

Then it happened. Two grenades landed inside his foxhole. Without hesitation, Lucas dove atop them, taking the brunt of the blast. Shrapnel tore through him, ripping flesh and embedding itself deep in bone. Half his body was mangled—legs shattered, chest torn open.

Yet, he lived.

Medal of Honor—Blood-Stamped Valor

At just 17 years old, Jacklyn Lucas became the youngest Marine to ever receive the Medal of Honor in World War II. His citation calls it "an act of great personal valor and self-sacrifice."

“By his courageous and intrepid actions, he saved the lives of several of his fellow Marines at the risk of his own life.”

— Medal of Honor Citation, February 27, 1945

His commanders were awed. “He’s the bravest Marine I ever met,” said Lt. Col. William E. Barber^1.

Few men face death once in war. Lucas stared it down twice, carrying the scars as proof—living testaments that valor has no age.

The Aftermath and Enduring Spirit

The war tried to claim him—multiple surgeries, years of recovery—but Lucas refused to be broken. His faith held strong, often quoting Romans 8:37,

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

After the war, Lucas carried his story like a torch in the dark. He became a symbol not only of youthful courage but of unwavering faith beneath fire.

Legacy Etched in Flesh and Soul

Jacklyn Harold Lucas didn’t just survive grenades; he carved a legacy from sacrifice itself. He showed the world that courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s clutching your brothers close and shielding them with your body anyway. That bravery is raw, bloody, and broken. That faith and honor anchor even the youngest warriors in storms of hell.

His story is a call to all who wear the uniform: Courage lies in the moment you choose to live for others before yourself. His scars whisper the eternal truth—redemption is always within reach, even when death knocks loudest.

The blood-stained sands of Iwo whisper his name. In every Marine who shields a brother today, you hear Jacklyn Lucas’ heartbeat. A boy who traded his youth for their lives and lived to tell the cost. That is legacy. That is honor. That is sacrifice.

Sources

1. USMC History Division, Medal of Honor Citation: Jacklyn H. Lucas 2. Eric Hammel, Iwo Jima: Portrait of a battle, Presidio Press, 2006 3. Military Times Hall of Valor Project, Jacklyn Harold Lucas