Jacklyn Lucas, Iwo Jima hero who received Medal of Honor at 17

Feb 05 , 2026

Jacklyn Lucas, Iwo Jima hero who received Medal of Honor at 17

Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr. was a boy who stepped into the inferno with the heart of a man. Barely seventeen, no more than a kid chasing a warrior’s dream, he threw himself on two grenades in the crucible of Iwo Jima. Two. Both times he rolled over them with nothing but his body between the blast and his brothers in arms. Youngest Marine ever to wear the Medal of Honor for valor in World War II. Blood and grit sealed his story, inked in pain, sacrifice, and a fight for every heartbeat beyond his own.

The Making of a Warrior

Born August 14, 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio, Jacklyn Lucas came of age during a generation forged by hardship and war. His family churned through the Great Depression, and like countless sons of that era, dreams of heroism ran wild against the backdrop of a world at war. By the time he first tried to enlist, the military saw a boy’s enthusiasm, not yet a man’s calloused reality. He lied and got in anyway, cutting his age to qualify.

His faith, though not often spotlighted, shone quietly in his resolve. As Scripture says:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

That kind of strength — a blend of youthful spirit and something deeper — carried him forward. Lucas held a fierce personal code, wired by convictions hammered in by a nation at war and a church pew where his soul found refuge.

The Battle That Defined Him

Iwo Jima, February 1945. The island was hell—red soil soaked in blood, choking gunfire, choking smoke. Lucas's 4th Marine Division clawed their way across volcanic rock littered with stalwart Japanese bunkers.

Amid artillery and shrieking shells, Lucas found himself shoulder to shoulder with fellow Marines. It happened fast: an enemy grenade landed near their position. Without hesitation, Lucas dove atop it, absorbing the explosion and saving three comrades.

Moments passed — barely caught breath — before a second grenade came hurtling in. Once more, he flung his body on top of it. The blasts tore into him. Shattered legs, arms mangled. But the boy who endured seemed unstoppable.

The official Medal of Honor citation captures the brutal reality:

“With full knowledge of the probable consequences, this young Marine immediately covered two enemy grenades with his body, absorbing the force of the explosions and saving the lives of the three men who were with him.”(1)

Recognition in Blood and Bronze

Jacklyn Lucas’s wounds spelled the end of front-line combat, but they etched his name permanently into Marine Corps legend. At just 17, the nation recognized him with the Medal of Honor—presented by President Harry S. Truman in 1945. Those scars told stories far louder than medals, but those medals confirmed the eyewitness accounts of a valor few could imagine.

Marine General Alexander A. Vandegrift later lauded Lucas’s courage, calling it:

“A feat of heroism unparalleled at so young an age.” (2)

Lucas would go on to serve in the Korean War and later as a civilian mentor, but his story belonged to that moment when a boy’s raw instinct became salvation for three men.

Legacy Etched in Sacrifice

Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr.’s legend cuts through time like a blade. The youngest Medal of Honor recipient ever in the Marine Corps wasn’t just a title; it was a testament to sacrifice beyond the call, and an unbreakable spirit forged beneath hellfire.

How do you measure courage? By blood, by will, by the refusal to place yourself over your brothers. Lucas’s story compels us to wrestle with the cost of freedom, the debt owed to those who shield us from death’s shadow.

His life reminds veterans — and those who have never known war’s rage — that courage isn’t about perfection. It’s about choice. In the chaos of battle, it is the primal act to protect, no matter the cost.

His final days were quiet compared to that hellscape. Yet, in every speech, every visit to wounded warriors, every moments of reflection, he lived that second grenade with us still. A reminder that redemption sometimes arrives wrapped in scarred flesh and a willingness to die so others live.

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

Jacklyn Lucas laid down more than life — he laid down youth, naivety, and the future a teenager should have had. What remained was a legacy tattooed on the souls of those who understand that war’s red stain never fully fades, but that sacrifice can light the way for all who follow.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History + Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. Marine Corps History Division + Marine Corps Heroism in World War II