Jacklyn Harold Lucas, 17, Medal of Honor Recipient at Iwo Jima

Oct 27 , 2025

Jacklyn Harold Lucas, 17, Medal of Honor Recipient at Iwo Jima

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was just a boy—barely seventeen—but he carried the weight of a warrior in every breath. Amid the roar of grenades and gunfire at Iwo Jima, he threw himself onto not one but two live explosives, skin seared, bones shattered, saving the lives of the Marines around him. This wasn’t recklessness. This was pure, unflinching courage.

From Boy to Marine: Rooted in Faith and Resolve

Born in 1928 in Plymouth, North Carolina, young Jacklyn grew up in a modest home shadowed by the Great Depression. A kid with a fighter’s spirit, he was no stranger to hardship. Faith was his anchor. Raised in a Christian household, he often turned to scripture for strength. As he later recalled, “I believed my actions that day were guided by something beyond me.”

At just 14, Lucas first tried to enlist—too young, denied, but undeterred. By 16, he had forged documents to slip into the USMC. His code was simple: serve with honor, beyond all else.

The Battle That Defined Him: Iwo Jima, February 20, 1945

The flag-smothered winds of Iwo Jima carried hell on their breath. Lucas, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division, faced an enemy dug deep in volcanic ash and steel.

On his very first day on the front lines, an enemy grenade landed in the foxhole occupied by Lucas and two fellow Marines. Without hesitation, Lucas dove onto the grenade, flinging his body above it. The blast tore through his leg and hand—yet when another grenade followed, he did it again.

Twice wounded, twice shattered. His actions saved the two men beside him from almost certain death, but Lucas’s injuries nearly cost him his own life.

Recognition: The Youngest Marine Medal of Honor Recipient

At just 17 years old, Lucas earned the Medal of Honor, making him the youngest Marine to ever receive it during World War II.[1] The citation reads:

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

Commanders and fellow Marines praised his selfless bravery. Chesty Puller, legendary Marine Corps figure, reportedly called Lucas’s actions the epitome of Marine valor.[2]

Lucas walked away from the battle a hero, his scars a brutal testament to his sacrifice.

Legacy and Lessons: Courage Born of Faith and Purpose

Jacklyn Harold Lucas’s story is raw and real—a young boy pulled from innocence into the furnace of war, who faced death without flinching. His wounds were deep, but the strength of his spirit ran deeper.

War demands decisions no one should make—not children, not men. Yet Lucas’s faith and raw grit galvanized a moment that saved lives and inspired generations. He emerged battered but unbroken, carrying the weight of sacrifice with humility.

His legacy teaches this: True courage rises not from the absence of fear, but from the embrace of duty and the willingness to be the shield for others.

In the darkest hours, when chaos threatens to devour hope, souls like Lucas’s stand firm. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

We remember Jacklyn Harold Lucas not just as the youngest Marine Medal of Honor recipient—but as a living symbol of sacrifice’s price and redemption’s power. His story cuts through the noise, reminding warriors and civilians alike that courage is forged in flesh and faith, marked by scars, and carried into eternity.

Sources

[1] Naval History and Heritage Command, Medal of Honor Citation: Jacklyn Harold Lucas [2] Alexander, Joseph H., Utmost Savagery: The Three Days of Tarawa (Naval Institute Press)