Jacklyn Lucas, Iwo Jima hero and youngest WWII Medal of Honor honoree

Dec 30 , 2025

Jacklyn Lucas, Iwo Jima hero and youngest WWII Medal of Honor honoree

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was 17 years old the day hell came calling at Iwo Jima. Barely out of diapers for war, he faced a firestorm that would crush men twice his age. But Jacklyn? He stepped into the storm — raw nerves, raw courage — and made a choice that saved lives at the cost of his own flesh. Two grenades. One kid. No hesitation. He threw his body over them, soaked in shrapnel, but alive—because some warriors are forged faster than others.

A Boy From North Carolina with a Warrior’s Spirit

Lucas grew up in North Carolina, a working-class family where honor was the currency. Before he was a Marine, he was a kid chasing dreams bigger than his backyard. Faith wasn’t just Sunday morning words for Jacklyn. It was steel in his spine. Baptized young, he carried an unshakable belief in purpose and sacrifice. Like David against Goliath, his quiet prayers steeled him for battles no boy should fight.

He lied about his age to enlist at 14. The Corps wouldn’t take him until he was 17. But waiting didn’t slow the man whose heart was already locked on service and protection. He was the living proof that courage doesn’t wait for adulthood.

Hell on Earth: The Battle That Defined Jacklyn

February 1945. Iwo Jima. The island was a fortress of flaming death. For nearly a week, Marines clawed at the sand and blood-soaked hills with inch-by-inch fights. Jacklyn Lucas was in Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. Still green, still learning the cost of war.

On the morning of February 20th, the fight spiraled into chaos. Japanese soldiers lobbed grenades with deadly precision. One grenade landed amidst his rifle squad — a flash of metal and fire. Without thinking, young Lucas threw himself over it, absorbing the blast. As if the blood-soaked moment wasn’t enough, another grenade landed nearby. He did it again—twice—sheltering his brothers under a pile of young, shattered flesh.

The explosions shredded his hands and legs, tore through his chest. Medics said survival was a miracle. Lucas survived with 21 pieces of shrapnel still lodged in him.

Medal of Honor: The Nation’s Recognition of a Boy’s Heroism

Jacklyn Lucas became the youngest Marine — and youngest Medal of Honor recipient — in World War II.

His citation reads:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty... he instantly threw himself upon one of the grenades, and with complete disregard for his own safety... simultaneously covering the second grenade with his body to protect others...”

Commanders credited his actions with saving countless lives in his unit. Major Gen. Graves B. Erskine said, “He showed a bravery that transcended age and battle experience.”

Even decades later, fellow Marines saluted his grit: “He carried the weight of that day heavier than most, but never the shame.”

A Legacy Worn Like Battle Scars

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was more than a headline or a medal. He was a testament to raw, unfiltered sacrifice—an angry grace carved from the violence of war. His story echoes in every foxhole across time: courage isn’t reserved for the seasoned or the ready. It’s a split-second decision to stand in the face of death.

He rebuilt his life carrying both pain and purpose. His scars were a living sermon of redemption: hurt is real, but so is hope. He said later, “I was lucky to be here after all that. I’ve got a second chance to show what that kind of courage really means.”

In a world that often forgets, that kind of legacy demands remembrance.

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.” — Psalm 18:2

Some never put a name to the grenades they jump on, but Jacklyn Lucas gave that sacrifice a face and a faith. An ordinary boy born to fight, who with nothing but raw heart, reshaped the meaning of courage. Men like him remind us that the battlefield leaves marks not only on flesh, but eternity.

The war took a boy, scarred him, then gave him life—not just to survive, but to carry the story, bloodied but unbroken.