Jacklyn Lucas Saved Comrades at Iwo Jima and Earned the Medal of Honor

Feb 06 , 2026

Jacklyn Lucas Saved Comrades at Iwo Jima and Earned the Medal of Honor

Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr. was nineteen years old the day he dove onto two live grenades. Two. Without hesitation. Without a second thought. The explosions tore into his chest and legs. Blood drenched the blood-soaked sand of Iwo Jima. Yet somehow, he lived. Not just survived—he saved lives.

The Making of a Warrior: Faith & Family

Born April 14, 1928, in Illmo, Missouri, Jacklyn Lucas grew up a tough kid with grit enough for two lifetimes. Raised by a devout mother who drilled faith into him like a steel helmet, Lucas carried scripture in his heart before he even held a rifle. Hebrews 13:16 was more than words—“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” This wasn’t just faith. It was a code. Survival wasn’t enough. Sacrifice was the calling.

At just 14, Lucas lied about his age and enlisted in the Marine Corps. His mother tried to stop him at the recruiting station. Too young, son. He told her, “If I’m going to die for my country, I want to do it as a Marine.” That steel resolve would define him.

Blood on the Black Sands: Iwo Jima, February 20, 1945

Less than a year after enlistment, Private Lucas found himself crawling through the volcanic ash of Iwo Jima. The island was a crucible—a nightmare of entrenchments, steel, and death. On that brutal first day of the invasion, Lucas fought alongside his unit near Airfield Number One.

Suddenly, two grenades clattered onto the group’s position, no time to toss or throw them away. Quickest thought in hell, Lucas threw his shrinking frame over both explosives, taking the full blast. His chest was shattered, limbs broken, but that moment’s sacrifice saved at least two comrades.

The explosion would have killed most men outright. But Lucas survived against every odd. Wounded, alone on a hellscape inches from death, he refused evacuation. Even as medics begged him to quit, he insisted on returning to his unit.

Medals and Words: Recognition Earned in Blood

For this act of valor, Lucas was awarded the Medal of Honor on May 8, 1945. At nineteen, he was—and remains—the youngest Marine ever to receive this nation’s highest combat decoration.

His citation reads:

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty... he unhesitatingly threw himself on two enemy grenades, which had been thrown into his position, and in so doing saved his comrades from death or serious injury."

United States Marine Corps leaders hailed his courage. Commandant Alexander Vandegrift called Lucas’ actions “an example of the highest Marines’ fighting spirit.” Comrades described him as “the bravest kid we ever knew.”

Lucas bore the scars that medals could never show. His survival was a living sermon about courage under fire.

Legacy Etched in Blood and Bloodlines

Jacklyn Lucas lived long enough to see his story inspire generations. After the war, he dedicated himself to speaking about sacrifice, resilience, and faith—never hiding the wounds, never glorifying violence. He showed that courage isn’t absence of fear, but grace under fire.

His life reminds us: True heroism is rooted in the choice to give all you have. In a world quick to forget, Lucas carved a legacy that burns like flares over the black sands of Iwo Jima.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — John 15:13

Jacklyn Lucas answered that call—not as a tale of myth, but as raw, sacred truth.

Sources

1. United States Marine Corps, Medal of Honor Citation for Jacklyn H. Lucas 2. Department of Defense, World War II Medal of Honor Recipient Biographies 3. “Jacklyn Lucas: The Youngest Medal of Honor," Marine Corps Heritage Foundation 4. Paul Stillwell, Iwo Jima: Legacy of Valor