Jacklyn Lucas Youngest Marine to Earn Medal of Honor at Iwo Jima

Jan 12 , 2026

Jacklyn Lucas Youngest Marine to Earn Medal of Honor at Iwo Jima

Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr. was just seventeen when hell broke loose beneath his boots. In the chaos of Iwo Jima, he did something no Marine should ever have to do — twice. Two grenades, tossed mercilessly by unseen enemies, landed at his feet. Without hesitation, he threw himself on them, absorbing the blasts with his body. Bone shattered. Flesh burned. Yet Jacklyn survived. A boy forged by fire, becoming a brother’s shield.

Background & Faith

Born in Plymouth, North Carolina, 1928, Jacklyn was the youngest of three boys, raised on small-town values and a stubborn streak that refused to quit. At just 14, he lied about his age to enlist in the Marines, driven by a fierce sense of duty and a desire to stand tall in the face of the world’s darkest moments. “I just wanted to be a Marine,” he said later. Not for glory. Not for medals. But for honor.

Raised in a deeply Christian household, faith was a lifeline. It gave him strength when others lost theirs. Psalms, prayers, and quiet moments before battle grounded him. “The Lord was with me,” he claimed, even as bombs tore the earth apart. His courage was tempered by a belief greater than himself, a purpose beyond medals and scars.

The Battle That Defined Him

Iwo Jima, February 20, 1945. The island hell itself. Jacklyn landed with the 5th Marine Division, barely out of adolescence. The enemy was close, deadly. The air thick with smoke and the stench of death. He had already faced tough days, but nothing prepared him for the moment when grenades rained hell at his squad’s feet.

The first grenade landed. Instinct overrode fear. Jacklyn threw himself on it, absorbing the blast. His body was shredded. Before the dust settled, a second grenade flew near. Without pause, he did the same. Twice wounded, fighting for breath, but still alive. “No man could have done more,” said one of his commanders.

His acts saved two fellow Marines from sure death. His body—battered, broken, but unyielding—became the barrier between life and obliteration. Those wins in close quarters, those seconds of selfless sacrifice, would etch Jacklyn’s name forever into Marine Corps history.

Recognition

At 17 years old, Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr. became the youngest Marine—and youngest Medal of Honor recipient—of World War II.

The citation is brutal, honest, unsparing. It 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 to save his comrades from certain death or serious injury.[1]

The Medal of Honor wasn’t just a decoration; it was a testament to sacrifice raw and absolute. The scars on his body told stories no words could reach. Fellow Marines called him a living legend, one who bore not just wounds but the weight of every life he saved.

His decorations included the Purple Heart with two Gold Stars for wounds received in combat, the Navy Combat Action Ribbon, and others.[2] But Jacklyn never spoke of medals. Only of his brothers in arms.

Legacy & Lessons

The name Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr. is carved deep into the annals of valor. But more than that—his story is a brutal lesson in courage’s cost.

Courage isn’t absence of fear. It’s action despite it. It’s the brutal choice to put others before yourself, even when your body screams no. Lucas’s story shakes the soul with its raw truth: sacrifice is forever.

His survival was a divine puzzle. He rebuilt a life scarred by war—physically and spiritually. He preached redemption, reminding us that from shattered bodies and violent nights, grace can emerge.

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

Lucas’s legacy bridges generations. For Veterans, it is a salve and a call—to remember why the fight mattered. For civilians, a window into sacrifice worn like armor, forged in sacrifice and faith.

Amid broken bodies and shattered earth, Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr. showed that true heroes are those who choose to bear the flames—twice over—for the sake of others. His life screams a simple truth:

Some sacrifices never fade. They echo. They redeem. They endure.

Sources

[1] U.S. Marine Corps History Division — Medal of Honor Citation for Jacklyn H. Lucas [2] Naval History and Heritage Command — Awards and Decorations Record, Jacklyn Harold Lucas Jr.