Oct 01 , 2025

Jacklyn Lucas the Youngest Medal of Honor Recipient at Iwo Jima

Jacklyn H. Lucas was just a kid when hell found him. Barely 17, fresh-faced, not yet a man — yet already the kind of warrior who would throw himself on live grenades to save his brothers.

Two grenades. Two bodies thrown on top of them. One pulled through.

Blood soaked into the sands of Iwo Jima that day, but so did something harder than death: unyielding will.

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Childhood and Conviction

Born in Plymouth, North Carolina, 1928. A youth marked by loss and grit. He lost his father young. Raised by his mother, a woman of faith and firm hands.

Jacklyn never waited for permission to fight for right — enlistment came early, forged by his own code: serve, protect, endure.

“I’m taking my family’s name to war with me.”

Faith ran through his veins—not just religion, but a belief in purpose beyond the battlefield. A young man with a steel spine buried beneath boyish eyes.

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The Battle That Defined Him

February 20, 1945. Iwo Jima. The bloodiest struggle of the Pacific War.

Private First Class Lucas parachuted into hell with the 244th Parachute Infantry Regiment—a daring Marine volunteer in an Army unit.

Enemy artillery ripped the air around him. Chaos was a living thing that day. Then, grenades—twice tossed by Japanese soldiers—landed in the foxhole he shared with two comrades.

Without a moment’s hesitation — he threw his body down twice, covering the grenades with his own flesh.

The first blast wounded Lucas severely; shrapnel tore through his body. The second grenade he threw onto—absorbing the shock once more. Both men survived because of him, though he was gravely injured.

He was later found amid the wreckage, bloodied and unconscious, a youthful savior who had cheated death by sheer will.

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Medal of Honor: The Youngest Warrior

At 17, Jacklyn H. Lucas became the youngest Marine—and the youngest serviceman overall—to receive the Medal of Honor in World War II.

His citation reads:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Private Lucas distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism on 20 February 1945... when two enemy grenades landed near him and two other Marines. Without hesitation, he threw himself on the grenades and absorbed the full force of the explosions.”

His commanding officers called him:

“A warrior without equal, the very soul of courage.”

President Truman awarded him the Medal on October 5, 1945.

When asked how he survived, Lucas simply said:

“Somebody was looking out for me.”

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Legacy Burned in Steel and Flesh

Jacklyn Lucas’ story isn’t just a wartime headline. It’s a lesson carved out in pain and blood.

He survived 21 wounds—face, arms, legs—but carried the scars as a silent sermon of sacrifice.

His bravery speaks louder than medals. It reaches into the heart of what it means to be a Marine.

Sacrifice is not a choice; it is a command when brothers fall around you.

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

Lucas’ courage is a beacon to all who serve: courage is not absence of fear—but action in defiance of it.

Though war could have broken him, it forged instead a man devoted to living out the purpose he found amidst hell’s fire.

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He survived the grenades but carried their truth forever: freedom demands sacrifice; valor demands humility.

Jacklyn Lucas did not ask for glory. He answered a call nobody else heard.

And in his scars, the silent oath of every warrior echoes:

“I stand in the gap. I shield the fallen. I endure.”

That is the legacy that outlives the war. That is the faith that redeems the battle.

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Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division – Medal of Honor Citations 2. “Jacklyn Lucas: The Youngest Medal of Honor Recipient,” Naval History and Heritage Command 3. Truman Presidential Library – Medal of Honor Ceremony Transcript 4. “The Price of Valor: Jacklyn Lucas and Iwo Jima,” Military Times Archives

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