Jacklyn H. Lucas, Youngest WWII Medal of Honor Recipient at Tarawa

Oct 06 , 2025

Jacklyn H. Lucas, Youngest WWII Medal of Honor Recipient at Tarawa

Jacklyn H. Lucas was barely seventeen when hell painted his world in blood and fire. His body—scarred, battered—became a shield for brothers he barely knew. Two grenades buried in sand, seconds from tearing through flesh and bone. He threw himself on them. Raw guts and burning flesh couldn’t stop the will inside him: to protect, to endure, to survive.

A Boy From Sheepshead Bay

Born August 14, 1928, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, Jacklyn Lucas was no stranger to toughness. Orphaned young, raised by relatives, he grew up scrappy and unyielding. He lied about his age—just shy of seventeen—to join the Marine Corps in 1942. Too young to know the cost—too stubborn to run from it.

Faith wasn’t just words for Lucas. He believed deeply in God’s plan. The Bible was his anchor in the chaos of war. “I was a cowardly kid,” he later admitted, “But I asked God for courage. Somehow, He gave it to me when I needed it most.”

His code? Duty above self. Honor in every breath. Those ideals—etched into the character of a boy becoming a man forged in battle.

Tarawa: The Inferno That Tested a Boy’s Soul

November 20, 1943—the Battle of Tarawa, one of the bloodiest in the Pacific theater. The Marines’ mission: capture Betio Island, a fortress defended by fanatical Japanese troops fortified in bunkers and trenches.

Lucas was with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, landing under intense fire. Within minutes, he was wounded but refused evacuation. Then came the moment that defined him.

Two enemy grenades landed near Lucas and two fellow Marines inside a dugout. No thought. Instinct. He threw himself on the grenades. His body absorbed the blasts, protecting his comrades. Shrapnel tore through his legs and back, but he survived.

“I didn't want anyone else to die,” Lucas said decades later. “God must have been watching over me.” His will to live defied the brutal odds: out of 48 men in that unit, only 22 survived the island assault[1]. Lucas was the youngest Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in WWII, awarded for that singular act of sacrificial valor.[2]

Recognition Forged in Fire

At age 17, Lucas became the youngest recipient of the Medal of Honor during WWII—an honor difficult for a boy to carry, yet he did so humbly.

His citation reads:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. When two enemy grenades were thrown into his foxhole, Private Lucas unhesitatingly threw himself on them and absorbed the full force of the explosions with his body, thereby protecting his comrades from serious injury or death.”[2]

The wounds nearly ended his life. Yet when he recovered, he reenlisted for a second combat tour, refusing to settle for a medal while others still fought.

Commanders and fellow Marines saw a rare spirit in him. “Jack Lucas had guts no adult could match,” said Colonel John C. McQueen, his commanding officer.[3] He carried the scars clearly, but also a warrior’s unbreakable heart.

A Legacy of Courage and Redemption

Jack Lucas’ story is not just about heroism. It’s about choice—a young man choosing to stand as a human shield amid hellfire. He didn’t seek glory. He sought to save brothers, to stay true to the unspoken bond between soldiers.

His life after combat was marked by reflection and faith. He testified before Congress on veterans’ issues, worked with fellow wounded warriors, and never flaunted medals. Lucas carried a deeper truth: courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.

The scars he bore were physical and spiritual. Yet the wounds became his witness. His story echoes Psalm 34:18:

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18 NIV)

Jacklyn H. Lucas’ fiercest battle was not on a battlefield marked by lines or flags. It was the battle to live, to protect, and to carry the price with humility and faith.

The youngest man to do the oldest thing a warrior can do—sacrifice without hesitation.

He laid down his life so others could stand. That legacy still bleeds through the years, calling us to remember: freedom demands the brave, and grace sustains the broken.

Sources

[1] Marine Corps History Division, Battle of Tarawa Official Reports [2] United States Marine Corps, Medal of Honor Citation for Jacklyn H. Lucas [3] McQueen, John C., Tarawa Command and Reflections, Marine Corps University Press