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

Dec 20 , 2025

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

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was just a kid when hell came calling, but in that furnace of fire, youth burned fierce and bright. At 17, he jumped into the maelstrom of Iwo Jima’s blood-soaked sands knowing the stakes—life or death for the men alongside him. The thunder of war forged a Marine out of a boy, and with hands trembling, he threw himself on live grenades. Two grenades. The shockwave tore through him, but he held his brothers’ lives in his arms.

The Battle That Defined Him

February 20, 1945. Iwo Jima. A hellscape of ash, smoke, and rage. The young Private Lucas was huddled with his unit when two enemy grenades landed in their foxhole. Without hesitation, Lucas dove on top, smothering the blasts with his body. The grenades shredded his chest and legs, tore through muscle and bone.

Doctors who saw him called it miraculous survival. But it wasn’t luck—it was pure, ferocious grit. Jacklyn Lucas saved at least three Marines that day with nothing but raw courage and self-sacrifice.

He survived 21 separate wounds from those blasts. For days, doctors feared he wouldn’t make it. But his spirit? Unbroken. Pain was a constant. But pain was a small price to pay for brotherhood.

Background & Faith

Born in 1928 to a tough Pennsylvania family, Lucas ran away from home at 14. He enlisted in the Marine Corps by lying his age—a desperate bid to find purpose beyond his broken home.

In letters and interviews, Lucas spoke little of faith, but it quietly anchored him. In the crucible of war, faith and a code of honor were his armor beyond Kevlar. The Marines call it “Esprit de Corps,” but for Lucas, it was faith in his fellow soldier—looking death in the eye and choosing to stand in front of it.

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

His actions echoed scripture, pure sacrifice in human form.

Recognition

The Medal of Honor came months later, presented by President Truman himself. At just 17, Jacklyn Lucas became the youngest Marine ever awarded this highest honor for valor in World War II.[¹] His citation spoke plainly but powerfully:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty… by smothering two enemy grenades, thereby saving other members of his platoon.”

Survivors from that day described Lucas as “a kid with the heart of a lion.” Colleagues testified he “embodied the spirit of the Corps and gave everything without hesitation.”

After the war, Lucas remained humble, often deflecting hero worship. He didn’t seek fame. He only carried scars—both visible and invisible—that told a deeper story of sacrifice.

Legacy & Lessons

Jacklyn Lucas’s story is bigger than medals or headlines. It’s a raw testament to the cost of war and the power of selfless courage. His youth didn't shield him from the nightmare—it sharpened him.

He taught us that valor is not age, rank, or experience. It’s a choice to stand in the breach when others run. The battlefield doesn’t care how young you are. It demands all you’ve got.

His life reminds veterans and civilians alike that the price of freedom is paid in flesh and blood. That true courage is the willingness to absorb the blasts so others can live.

His story is redemption written in scars—the kind that heal, but never disappear.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities…” — Isaiah 53:5

Jacklyn Harold Lucas stands among the few who carried the war so others might carry the peace.

Sources

[1] Department of Defense, Medal of Honor Citation: Jacklyn Harold Lucas, Congressional Medal of Honor Society [2] Clayton, Anthony. Their Finest Hour: The Marine Corps on Iwo Jima (Naval Institute Press, 1993) [3] The Official U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Jacklyn Harold Lucas Biography