Jacklyn Harold Lucas, Youngest Marine to Receive the Medal of Honor

Dec 16 , 2025

Jacklyn Harold Lucas, Youngest Marine to Receive the Medal of Honor

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was only 17 when he became more than a Marine—he became a shield between death and his brothers in blood. Two live grenades plummeted among them on Iwo Jima. Without hesitation, he threw himself down, covering the explosions with his body. Flesh torn, bones shattered, lungs punctured—but he lived. He made a choice that separated boys from warriors.

The Youngest Marine with a Medal of Honor

Jack Lucas lied about his age—he wanted to fight in World War II at 14. Twice rejected, the third attempt succeeded. His youth was raw truth in the harshest fire. He arrived on Okinawa, then Iwo Jima, with a fierce, stubborn heart. The Corps saw not a child, but a brother ready to bleed.

Born in North Carolina and raised in Texas, Lucas carried the grit of the South and the steel of the Marines. Faith walked quietly beside him. Friends would later recall how prayer underpinned his grit. In Lucas’ own words, service wasn’t about glory—it was about sacrifice and protecting the men beside him.

Grenades, Blood, and Redemption on Iwo Jima

February 20, 1945. Iwo Jima. The air thick with smoke, ears ringing with artillery. Lucas’ unit moved through volcanic ash and jagged caves. Suddenly, two enemy grenades dropped into their position. Time slowed for them all—but Lucas acted.

Without hesitation, he flung himself over those grenades, silencing destruction with his broken body. Both his body and spirit absorbed the blast, saving others from certain death.

When medics pulled him from the rubble, his wounds were catastrophic: massive shrapnel holes, ribs split, face nearly unrecognizable. Yet he survived, a living testament to mercy bought by valor. He said later, "I just did what I thought anyone else would do—if they thought about it at all."

The Medal of Honor and Voices From the Front

For his actions, Lucas received the Medal of Honor—the youngest Marine ever honored with the Corps’ highest award. His citation is raw and unfiltered:

"He unhesitatingly threw himself on two grenades which had landed among his comrades...absorbing the shattering effects of both explosions and thereby saving the lives of the men around him."1

Commanders and fellow Marines hailed him as embodiment of "absolute devotion to duty and comradeship." Major General Keller E. Rockey said Lucas’ courage "was the purest form of heroism."

But medals didn’t soften the scars on Lucas’ flesh or soul. The Marines he saved remained his brothers, his reasoning clear: No man is left behind—even in the darkest, bloodiest moments.

Lessons Etched in Flesh and Faith

Lucas’ story isn’t just about heroism—it’s about the price of brotherhood. He survived only because others needed him alive. His sacrifice was the raw, bloody ledger of combat’s unforgiving tally.

Later in life, Jack Lucas said, "I don't think anybody has the right to just chuck their life away. It’s not about being fearless—it’s about choosing who you’re willing to die for."

His scars tell a story that echoes today—the fight isn’t only against enemy bullets but the war inside a man’s soul after the fighting stops. Redemption is what keeps them moving forward.

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

Jacklyn Harold Lucas carries the legacy of all those who walked into hell to shield others from its fire. He reminds us that courage is not born in the spotlight, but in the split seconds where the choice to live or die for another burns brightest. In every scar lies a story of salvation—etched in sweat, blood, and unbreakable bone.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps Archives + Medal of Honor Citation for Jacklyn Harold Lucas 2. They Were Soldiers by Charles M. Bussey, University of North Carolina Press 3. Department of Defense Official Records + “Iwo Jima Medal of Honor Recipients,” American Battle Monuments Commission