Nov 04 , 2025

Jacklyn Lucas, Medal of Honor Marine Who Saved Comrades at Iwo Jima

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was barely 17 when hell opened under his boots. Two grenades slammed into his foxhole. Without hesitation, he flung himself on them—twice. Shrapnel tore through flesh and bone, but he shielded his brothers in arms. A boy on the blood-soaked sands of Iwo Jima, baptized in the fire of sacrifice.

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From Small-Town Boy to Leatherneck

Born August 14, 1928, in Plymouth, North Carolina, Jacklyn carried the grit of the hard-scrabble South. Raised by a single mother in a modest household, his world was stitched with honor and faith. A deep, unshakable belief in God and country fueled his every step.

At 14, driven by boyish zeal and raw patriotism, he lied about his age to join the Marines. The Corps' stern code didn’t intimidate him; it called him. He prided himself that "A Marine is a rifleman," living that creed before he ever fired a shot in anger.

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The Inferno: Iwo Jima, February 20, 1945

The island was a volcanic furnace. Under relentless bombardment, Marines clawed through black ash and jagged rocks. Lucas was there with 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division—all barely out of their teens.

At 6:30 a.m., the killing zone soured further. Two enemy grenades landed in his trench. The first, he pushed aside with trembling hands. The second, seconds later—he dove on top. The explosions tore through him. Broken ribs, torn lungs, half a dozen pieces of shrapnel lodged inside him.

But the boys he saved lived.

He had told his mother he'd never want pity. That war was honor. Now blood soaked the proof.

Two days later, Lucas convinced medics he could still fight and went back to the line—though his body screamed in protest.

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Decorations Forged in Death’s Shadow

At just 17, Jacklyn Lucas is the youngest Marine ever to receive the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty... he unhesitatingly threw himself upon two grenades... absorbing the full impact of the explosions... such heroism saved the lives of his fellow Marines."

President Truman himself pinned the medal on young Lucas in 1945. Commanders and comrades lauded his courage—not just for youth, but raw, instinctive valor.

General Alexander Vandegrift, Commandant of the Marine Corps, called his act “a testament to the warrior spirit that defines our Corps.”

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Sacrifice and Redemption Etched in Flesh

Lucas survived but bore the scars for life—30 pieces of shrapnel embedded in his body, surgeries that never ended. He became a living monument to sacrifice.

His faith deepened through the trials, grounded in scripture:

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

He never saw himself as a hero. "I just did what any Marine would do," he said. But in that humility lies the soul of every combat vet—men who accept the cost so others may live.

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Legacy Beyond the Medal

Jacklyn Lucas embodies the raw truth of war: courage is not glamorous; it is brutal, costly, and painfully immediate.

His story is not just history. It is doctrine carved in flesh and faith for every warrior—that valor is born in the crucible of brotherhood, sacrifice, and purpose beyond self.

When medals rust and names fade, the echoes of his sacrifice linger like pulsing scars on the soul of the Corps—and the nation.

Veterans, civilians—this is a call to remember what price freedom demands.

Jacklyn Harold Lucas did not run from death. He ran towards it—so others could run free.

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Sources

1. Naval History and Heritage Command, Biography of Jacklyn H. Lucas 2. U.S. Marine Corps Archives, Medal of Honor Citations, WWII 3. Bill Sloan, The Ultimate Marine: Life and Legend of Chesty Puller (context on 5th Marine Division operations, Iwo Jima) 4. Truman Library, Medal of Honor Presentation Records

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