Jacklyn Harold Lucas, Youngest Marine to Receive Medal of Honor

Dec 17 , 2025

Jacklyn Harold Lucas, Youngest Marine to Receive Medal of Honor

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was just 14 when death found him on the blood-soaked sands of Iwo Jima. Too young to enlist, he lied, desperate to join the fight. Days later, grenades rained down—chaotic explosions brutal enough to rip young souls apart. But Jacklyn, with guts forged in the fires of ruin, threw himself on not one, but two grenades, his body a shield for brothers he barely knew.

The Boy Who Chose War

Born August 14, 1928, in Plymouth, North Carolina, Jacklyn grew up with a restless spirit and a heart pounding for valor. His father’s stories, heirlooms of unspoken sacrifice, carved a path. Raised in a Protestant family, faith was a quiet backbone—a compass in a world spinning out of control.

At 13, Jacklyn tried to join the Navy—rejected for being too young. He pleaded his case again, eventually lying about his age to the Marine Corps when he was just 14. Corps regulations wouldn’t allow it, but the recruiters looked the other way. The war needed men—and he demanded the chance to prove he was one.

His code? Serve with honor. Protect the men beside you at all costs. It wasn’t bravado. It was survival. And sacrifice.

Iwo Jima: Hell Carved in Lava and Fire

February 1945. The island was a furnace of hell—Japanese defenses ruthless and merciless. Jacklyn, a private, joined Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division. The landing was brutal from the outset. The beach churned with blood, sand, and shouts.

On February 20th, amidst the roar of artillery and the thunder of mortars, enemy grenades landed around his squad twice over seconds. Without hesitation, Jacklyn dove onto the first grenade, shielding four other men.

The first blast knocked the air from his lungs. No rest.

Another grenade bounced closer.

He threw himself again, chest and arms absorbing the second explosion.

Severe burns engulfed him. Bones shattered. Shrapnel buried itself deep. Pain that would haunt him for decades.

Yet, amid the carnage, Jacklyn’s actions quelled chaos and saved the lives of those men.

No moment more defining than throwing your body between death and your comrades.

Medal of Honor: Valor Beyond Years

Congress awarded Jacklyn Harold Lucas the Medal of Honor June 18, 1945. At 17 years old, he remains the youngest Marine to receive this highest military decoration.

His citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty during combat operations against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima... (United States Marine Corps, Medal of Honor citation)[1].

Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith called his deed:

“The bravest act I have ever seen in the Marine Corps.”

His scars were a testament, his youth stolen but his honor eternal.

The Lasting Fire

Jacklyn’s war didn’t end on Iwo Jima’s volcanic rock. Endless surgeries followed. Pain was the silent commander in his life, a constant reminder of his sacrifice. Yet through it all, his faith and determination never wavered.

He dedicated his life to inspiring others—speaking truth about courage, the cost of freedom, and the quiet shadows that veterans carry long after battle ends.

His story answers the age-old question: What does true valor look like?

Not proud boasting. Not just medals. But raw sacrifice—young hands covering grenades to give others a chance at life.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

Jacklyn Harold Lucas lived that scripture. His legacy whispers to every soldier and civilian: courage is not the absence of fear, but the resolve to act when facing it.

Remember the boy who dared to die young so others could live. Remember the boy who wore the red, white, and blue like armor—bloodied, scarred, but unbroken.

His story is a blood-stained page in history’s ledger. A call to honor sacrifice and carry the torch of redemption.

Sources

1. Department of Defense, United States Marine Corps, Medal of Honor citation for Jacklyn Harold Lucas. 2. “Jacklyn Harold Lucas: Youngest Medal of Honor Recipient.” Marine Corps History Division. 3. Rick Atkinson, The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944–1945, Henry Holt and Co.