Jacklyn H. Lucas, Youngest Marine to Receive the Medal of Honor

Feb 19 , 2026

Jacklyn H. Lucas, Youngest Marine to Receive the Medal of Honor

Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr. was thirteen years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Thirteen. Most boys that age were chasing baseballs or dreaming of girls. Not him. He had a steel in his spine forged somewhere beyond mere childhood. When the war called, he answered without hesitation. He became the youngest Marine ever to receive the Medal of Honor, a fact not just of record but of legend.

Born Into Grit and Resolve

Lucas was born in November 1928 in Plymouth, North Carolina. Raised during the Great Depression, his childhood was steeped in hardship and toughness. His mother, Daisy, raised him alone after his father’s death. Discipline and self-reliance ran in his blood. A scrawny kid with a warrior’s heart, Lucas refused the chains of circumstance.

His faith was not flashy or paraded but quiet and raw. He clung to scripture and a code of honor that shaped his every decision. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13) echoed through his soul, becoming the skeleton key to his courage.

The Battle That Defined Him: Iwo Jima, February 1945

Day one of the Battle of Iwo Jima. The island was a furnace of death, Japanese artillery chewing through columns of Marines in cold waves. Lucas was just seventeen, having lied about his age to get deployed early.

The moment came like a thunderclap in the hellfire. Two grenades landed amidst a tight cluster of Marines, including Lucas. Without hesitation, he dived on top of them, his body a shield absorbing the blast.

Both grenades detonated beneath him. Shrapnel tore through his arms, face, chest, and legs. Eleven pieces of metal were extracted from his flesh. His left eye was gouged. Still, he lived. Still, he saved lives.

Medics on the beach reported, “He was the only Marine who earned the medal for two separate acts of heroism on the same day.” Earlier, he had pulled a wounded comrade clear of enemy fire, risking his own life twice before the grenade blast1.

The Medal of Honor and Tributes

Jacklyn Harold Lucas received the Medal of Honor from President Harry Truman a month later. The citation does not mince words:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the Second Battalion, Twenty-Sixth Marines, Fifth Marine Division during action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 20 February 1945.”

Throughout his life, Lucas never sought glory. Medal in hand, he said plainly, “I didn’t think—I just acted.”

General Holland M. Smith called him “a young Marine who personified the Corps’ highest traditions.”

Living With the Legacy of Sacrifice

Lucas’s wounds never fully healed, but neither did his spirit break. Post-war life saw him working with veterans and becoming a symbol of youthful courage that transcends age and time.

His sacrifice carries a clear, relentless message: courage is not born from might, but from choice. From giving your all when the world demands the ultimate price.

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me...” (Psalm 23:4) — Lucas walked that valley, eyes open, heart steady.

Courage Beyond the Medal

Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr. reminds us that heroism is measured not by years but by moments seized. His body shielded his brothers; his example shields every combat vet who bears invisible scars but carries the same fierce love for country and comrade.

Redemption is hard-won in the mud and blood. But it is found. His legacy is not the Medal itself, nor the headlines. It is the unbroken chain of sacrifice passing from one veteran to the next.

When young boys want to quit, remember Lucas—how he faced hell with nothing but courage, faith, and the will to stand for those who stood beside him.

# Sources 1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division – Medal of Honor Citation: Jacklyn H. Lucas 2. The Iwo Jima Medal of Honor Recipients by Bill Sloan, Naval Institute Press 3. American Heroines and Heroes: The Youngest Medal of Honor Recipient – Smithsonian Magazine