Jacklyn Lucas at Iwo Jima, the 17-Year-Old Marine Who Saved Lives

Nov 20 , 2025

Jacklyn Lucas at Iwo Jima, the 17-Year-Old Marine Who Saved Lives

Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr. was only 17 when hell rained down on the island of Iwo Jima. Grenades lobbed into a foxhole filled with Marines. No hesitation. Lucas hurled himself onto two live explosives. His flesh burned. His bones shattered. Yet he lived. He saved lives with nothing but raw guts and a body willing to absorb hell.

Blood Runs Deeper Than Age

Born in November 1928, Jacklyn Lucas held a fierce pride in his chest before he even wore the uniform. His hometown of Plymouth, North Carolina, was small, but the fire in his eyes was anything but.

He lied about his age to enlist in the Marine Corps at 14. Fourteen. The Corps rejected him twice before his persistence convinced them. He carried a warrior’s heart and a boy’s desperate hope to prove himself.

Faith walked with him. Raised in a Christian home, Lucas clung to scripture like a lifeline amid chaos.

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

His faith wasn’t just words. It became his armor in the mud and blood of war.

Into the Inferno: Iwo Jima, February 1945

The volcanic ash and fire of Iwo Jima carved legends from ordinary men. Jack Lucas was no exception.

On February 20, just hours into the Marine landing, Lucas was with his squad when Japanese grenades tumbled into the foxhole. Reflex overtook reason. He leapt on the grenades. Two explosions tore through him, shredding his chest and hands. His friend and Medal of Honor recipient, Hershel “Herky” Williams, recalled the horror:

“He covered those grenades with his body. It was the most courageous thing I ever saw.”

The official citation later described it:

“Private First Class Lucas’s conduct throughout this action was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

He suffered third-degree burns over 90% of his body, massive wounds that should have killed a man twice his age. But Jack refused death’s call.

Honors Born in Fire

At age 17, Jacklyn Lucas became the youngest Marine in history—and the youngest American—to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in World War II[1].

The White House ceremony on October 5, 1945, was somber. President Truman called his bravery “a shining example of the spirit that goes into the making of a great nation.”

His courage wasn’t born from glory. It was a desperate, sacrificial act to save his brothers-in-arms—brothers he believed God called him to protect.

Medals are cold metal, but his wounds told stories no ribbon could capture. He bore scars long after the war; reminders of the fragility and tenacity of life.

The Enduring Lesson of Sacrifice

Jack Lucas survived the war but lived with pain and heartache—not just from his wounds, but the weight of survival.

His story is a sermon in flesh and blood. War doesn’t sift out heroes by age; it finds those who answer the call with reckless love.

“He gave without counting cost.” That is courage.

For every combat veteran, Lucas’s sacrifice is a mirror—one demanding honesty about the price of peace.

“No greater love.” It’s an ancient truth carved anew in every generation willing to lay down their life so others might live.

When you think of Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr., think of the boy who refused death to save brothers. Think of the man who reminds us that valor isn’t measured by years but by the heart’s grit and grace.

Sources

[1] United States Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II; Naval History and Heritage Command, Jacklyn Harold Lucas Biography