Jacklyn Lucas Medal of Honor recipient who survived Iwo Jima

Dec 20 , 2025

Jacklyn Lucas Medal of Honor recipient who survived Iwo Jima

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was seventeen years old when he pulled grenades from the mud and grit and threw himself atop them—twice. His body pressurized the explosions, absorbing death’s blow like a wet rag suffocating a fire. Blood soaked the earth. His chest split open, bones crushed. But he lived. A boy wearing a Marine’s heart answered hell with flesh.

The Making of a Warrior

Born on January 14, 1928, in Pineville, West Virginia, Jacklyn came from humble roots carved by coal dust and stubborn grit. The son of a coal miner and a schoolteacher, his childhood was marked by fierce independence and a hunger for purpose. Enrollment in the Marine Corps was not a calculated plan—it was a calling.

At fifteen, he tried to enlist—twice rejected for being underage. At sixteen, he forged documents and slipped into the Corps. His faith and code of honor were deeply personal, shaped by a mother who raised him in the Word. The Bible became his compass through chaos.

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

Jacklyn carried those words like armor.

Iwo Jima: Firestorm and Fury

February 1945. The Pacific war’s blood-soaked stage: Iwo Jima. The island’s black volcanic sands riddled with Japanese tunnels and machine-gun nests. The air thick with smoke, death, and determination.

On February 20, just two days into the battle, Private Lucas found himself trapped alongside two fellow Marines under sudden grenade attack. Two grenades tumbled into their foxhole. Without hesitation, Jacklyn dove onto the deadly cylinders, pressing them to the ground with his body as both grenades detonated.

His chest was shredded from the blasts. Shattered ribs penetrated his lungs. Yet, despite nearly fatal wounds, he acted again—just moments later, he covered another grenade's explosion with his body. He was conscious enough to drive the grenades' lethal force downward, saving the lives beside him.

His unyielding resolve welded a protective shield over his brothers-in-arms.

Honors Born of Blood

Jacklyn Lucas holds a harrowing distinction: the youngest Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in World War II—he was just seventeen. President Harry S. Truman presented the medal personally on October 5, 1945.

The official citation recounts the stark reality of his valor:

“He unhesitatingly threw himself on two enemy grenades to save the lives of two other Marines beside him. Although badly wounded by the explosions, he courageously absorbed the blast of a third grenade, thereby saving the lives of nearby Marines.”

The wounds were so severe that medics initially doubted he would survive. But the boy who wore the scars refused to yield. He later said his will to live was driven by faith and duty.

Fellow Marines spoke of him in hushed reverence:

“Jacklyn was a brother who saved us all with nothing but his heart.”

A Life Etched in Sacrifice and Redemption

Jacklyn’s story is not just about youthful courage; it’s about the cost of war seared deep in skin and soul. He walked forward through decades of surgeries, pain, and resilience. The boy who had pressed his body to death’s edge was reborn as a man who carried redemption through every scar.

His faith remained steadfast, a thread binding past and present wounds. He used his testimony not as a shield but as a beacon—a call to service, sacrifice, and hope beyond battlefield horrors.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed.” — Romans 8:18

Jacklyn Harold Lucas reminds us: true valor is a raw, relentless act of love. Sacrifice is not a moment frozen in history—it is a living legacy carried by those willing to bleed for the brotherhood. He stands as a testament to a fierce truth: courage demands everything, but it never asks for less than redemption.

His story echoes in every man and woman forged by conflict—torn yet unbroken.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, “Medal of Honor: Jacklyn Harold Lucas.” 2. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, “Jacklyn Harold Lucas Citation and Biography.” 3. Truman Library, “Medal of Honor Ceremony - October 5, 1945.” 4. E.B. Sledge, With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa (for contextual combat descriptions).