Jacklyn Harold Lucas, youngest Medal of Honor recipient at Iwo Jima

Nov 07 , 2025

Jacklyn Harold Lucas, youngest Medal of Honor recipient at Iwo Jima

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was 17 years old when he chose to swallow death for his brothers in the hellfire of Iwo Jima. A teenage Marine, raw by age but steeled deep in heart, he threw himself on two live grenades to save the men around him. His body shattered under the blast, but his spirit refused to die.

The Making of a Warrior

Born April 14, 1928, in Plymouth, North Carolina, Lucas ran with a restless flame. He lied about his age to enlist in the Marines at just 14. No paperwork official, just determination and grit. His faith? Born of a simple Southern Baptist home, a strong moral compass carved in the youth. The Bible stories of sacrifice and redemption underpinned his view of duty.

Raised by parents who stressed hard work and honor, Lucas believed the warrior’s path was not just physical battle but one of purpose. As he said decades later:

“I didn’t think much about dying. I was afraid of not doing my part.”

He didn’t seek glory. He sought to matter.

The Firestorm of Iwo Jima

February 1945. The volcanic island of Iwo Jima became a furnace of frantic hell. Lucas’s unit hit the beach under withering fire. The smoke, the screams, the grunt of explosives echoing around blackened cliffs—this was war’s raw face.

Only 17 but fighting as a rifleman with Fox Company, he displayed an iron will beyond his years. On February 20th, while moving through enemy lines, an enemy grenade landed near his squad. Without hesitation, he dove onto the grenade to absorb the blast.

Moments later, another grenade clattered near them. Lucas threw himself on it again—two grenades, two blasts, two fiery dances with death that should have ended him then and there. His body took the punishment: both thighs blown apart, abdomen torn open, face and torso laced with shrapnel.

He survived. Barely.

His actions saved at least two Marines from certain death.

The Medal of Honor and Courage Personified

Jacklyn Lucas became the youngest Marine to receive the Medal of Honor during World War II. President Harry Truman presented the medal on October 5, 1945, praising the boy who dared the unthinkable.

His Medal of Honor citation reads:

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty… with complete disregard for his own safety, he threw himself upon two enemy grenades to save the lives of fellow Marines."

Commanders and comrades alike called him a miracle.

General Alexander Vandegrift, Commandant of the Marine Corps, reportedly said:

“His courage is without parallel in the annals of American warfare.”

Lucas’s wounds required over 200 surgical operations throughout his life. Yet the scars told a story more profound than pain: a relentless spirit forged in sacrifice.

Legacy Etched in Blood and Faith

Lucas did not rest on the laurels of his youth. He served in Korea and Vietnam, carrying the weight of his scars and the lessons of his youth like battle honors. He dedicated himself to helping veterans and speaking honestly about the costs of war.

His life embodied Romans 8:37 —

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

His story demands we remember what bravery truly costs, and what it means to choose courage over fear.

Jacklyn Harold Lucas’s legacy echoes across generations. The youngest Medal of Honor recipient in Marine Corps history did not just survive hell. He absorbed it. He lived proof that valor transcends age. That faith in a higher cause can steel the heart when flesh fails.

He reminds us all: courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to face it head-on.

In a world eager to forget the price of freedom, his sacrifice stands unyielding, a beacon carved by a boy who refused to let his brothers die.

Carry that with you.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division + “Jacklyn Harold Lucas, Medal of Honor Recipient” 2. National Medal of Honor Museum + “Jacklyn H. Lucas, WWII Marine Hero” 3. Truman Library + Medal of Honor Presentation Records, October 1945 4. Army and Navy Journal + “General Vandegrift Remarks on Medal of Honor Recipients”