Jacklyn Lucas, Iwo Jima's youngest Marine to receive the Medal of Hono

Jan 09 , 2026

Jacklyn Lucas, Iwo Jima's youngest Marine to receive the Medal of Honor

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was just 14 when war came crashing down on him. A boy among men, he threw himself into hell’s mouth with reckless courage. Two grenades landed at his feet on Iwo Jima’s blood-soaked sands. Without a second thought—without hesitation—he covered them with his body. Flesh shield for his brothers. Scars carved deep, inked forever in bone and heart.

He became the youngest Marine ever awarded the Medal of Honor.

A Boy Forged by Duty and Faith

Born in 1928, Jacklyn Lucas was an American son shaped by a harsh world. The Great Depression hammered the country when he was young. His family’s modest life in New York was no sanctuary, but it fueled a burning desire to serve, to stand for something greater. At 14, he lied about his age and enlisted in the Marine Corps—the spirit of sacrifice already blazing fierce inside.

Faith was his quiet armor. Lucas often credited God for the strength to endure. “It was the Bible that gave me courage,” he said years later. His resolve wasn’t just Marine grit; it was faith in divine purpose. The selflessness he showed wasn’t born from bravado but a belief in laying down one’s life for others.

Hell on Iwo Jima

February 1945. Iwo Jima—fire and fury, volcanic ash mixed with blood. Lucas landed with the 5th Marine Division as a private. The island was a crucible. Every foot taken was a scrap wrestled from fanatic defenders entrenched underground.

The moment that defined him came on the third day. Explosions rumbled. Lucas felt a snap—a grenade rolled into his foxhole. No time, no thought. He dove onto the grenade. Then a second landed nearby. Twice he threw down his young body, absorbing the blasts meant to kill them all.

The injuries were savage. Burns blistered his skin; shrapnel tore into the muscle and bone. Within hours, Lucas was being prepped for evacuation back to the States. Two grenades—two lives saved.

“I just didn’t want my buddies to get hurt,” Lucas later said. “I didn’t think of anything except doing what I had to do.”

Merits Etched in Metal and Honor

Lucas was awarded the Medal of Honor on October 5, 1945, by President Harry Truman. At 17, he stood as the youngest Marine recipient since the Medal’s inception.

His citation reads:

“For conspicuous gallantry and courage above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rifleman with the Fifth Marine Division on Iwo Jima, Japan, February 20, 1945, when two enemy grenades landed in his foxhole. With complete disregard for his own safety, Private Lucas immediately covered the first grenade with his body and then pushed the second grenade away from his companions by falling on it.”

Fellow Marines remembered him as a symbol—not just of youthful bravery but of unshakable loyalty. His scars told the story of a man who lived the warrior’s creed: Others first. Always.

Blood, Faith, and Legacy

Jacklyn Lucas did not see himself as a hero. He called the Medal “a reminder of the price of battle.” The weight of that day on Iwo Jima haunted him, but also tempered him.

His life after war was quieter—less about medals, more about purpose. He dedicated himself to veterans’ causes, speaking often about courage rooted in love and faith. His testimony reminds every soldier that sacrifice is not the absence of fear—it is the triumph over it.

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

The story of Jacklyn Harold Lucas is one of redemption carved in scars and fire. A boy who became a shield for his brothers, a living testament to courage born of selfless faith. His legacy asks us all to reckon with what it truly means to stand in the breach.

In Lucas’s story, the battlefield is not just a place of death but of enduring purpose—the raw, unvarnished soul of sacrifice that outlives war.

Sources

1. Naval History and Heritage Command, Medal of Honor Recipients: Jacklyn Harold Lucas 2. Smithsonian Institution, Iwo Jima: Battle and Legacy 3. Truman Library, Medal of Honor Ceremony October 1945 4. USMC Archives, 5th Marine Division After Action Reports