Jacklyn Lucas Iwo Jima hero and youngest Marine awarded Medal of Honor

Dec 12 , 2025

Jacklyn Lucas Iwo Jima hero and youngest Marine awarded Medal of Honor

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was fifteen years old when he faced hell and looked death in the eye. In the chaos of Iwo Jima, grenades landed amongst his fellow Marines—he didn’t hesitate. Without a second thought, he threw himself on those deadly explosives. Two grenades. Both swallowed beneath his body. His flesh shredded, bones broken, smoking but alive. He became the youngest Marine in WWII to receive the Medal of Honor for that act of grim courage.

A Boy Soldier’s Path

Born in 1928, Jacklyn Lucas grew up in poverty in North Carolina. His father died early; his mother barely kept food on the table. That hard life forged a relentless determination. At twelve, he ran away to join the Marines. They rejected him—said he was too young. At fourteen, he tried again. Finally, the Corps took him at fifteen, a boy with a man’s fire in his eyes and a heart hammered by hardship.

Faith was a quiet undercurrent in his life. Raised in a modest Christian home, Lucas carried a solemn code more than creed. “I prayed a lot during the war,” he said later. That prayer was not for glory. It was for strength. For mercy. For the brothers beside him.

Hell on Iwo Jima

February 1945. Iwo Jima. One of the bloodiest, most brutal campaigns in Marine Corps history. Lucas was part of the 5th Marine Division, landed ashore amid volcanic ash and iron rain. The Japanese defenders were dug in deep, their tactics savage and unyielding.

On February 20th, a grenade landed among a knot of Marines resting beside him. Instinct slammed into youth. He dove on it, shouting a warning to others. The explosion shredded the flesh from his chest, broke ribs, tore muscle. He should have died.

Minutes later, another grenade came over the lip of the crater. Lucas again threw himself on top, absorbing the blast. Two grenades detonated. His body became a shield. Wounded beyond measure, he refused to give ground. When medics found him, he was barely conscious, but alive.

His Medal of Honor citation notes:

“By his indomitable courage and unselfish actions, Private Lucas saved the lives of his fellow Marines.”[^1]

The Medal and the Man

At just 17, after months in military hospitals, Jacklyn Lucas was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman. Truman said of him:

“The boy who demonstrated such gallantry turned the tide of battle for his comrades.”[^2]

Lucas’s other medals included the Purple Heart with multiple oak leaf clusters. He survived over 200 surgeries to repair his shattered body, but he never lost his fire.

A quiet reflection haunted him—he fought not for medals, but for the men beside him. “I was just a kid doing what had to be done,” he said, pushing back on the spotlight.

Legacy Etched in Flesh and Spirit

Jacklyn Lucas’s story isn’t just about heroic sacrifice. It’s about what war demands from the young, and what faith and grit do to hold that line. He lived decades beyond the war, carrying those scars, those memories—never forgetting the cost.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Lucas’s life was a living testament to that scripture.

His legacy challenges us today. Courage is not born in ease—it is forced from desperation and conviction. His scars are reminders that freedom is paid with flesh, that valor often comes from the unlikeliest souls.

Mary, a veteran I spoke with, said it best:

“Lucas wasn’t just a boy who survived grenades. He is the spirit of every soldier who shields others with their own body.”

Jacklyn Harold Lucas teaches us to stand, bleed, and live for something greater than ourselves. In a world that often forgets the price paid, his story demands remembrance—and reverence.

[^1]: U.S. Marine Corps, Medal of Honor Citation for Jacklyn Harold Lucas, 1945 [^2]: Truman Library, Presidential Medal of Honor Award Ceremony, 1945