Jacklyn Lucas, Youngest Marine to Receive the Medal of Honor

Feb 03 , 2026

Jacklyn Lucas, Youngest Marine to Receive the Medal of Honor

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was just 17 when he plunged into hell and saved lives by shielding his buddies from exploding grenades—twice. Barely old enough to vote, he became the youngest Marine to earn the Medal of Honor. The blood on his hands was a baptism into a savage truth: courage doesn’t wait for permission.

From Boyhood to Battlefield

Born in 1928 in Plymouth, North Carolina, Jacklyn Lucas grew up tough. Raised during the Great Depression, his childhood was marked by hardship and a fiery desire to prove himself. He wasn’t just a boy chasing glory; he was a soul shaped by sacrifice before the war ever found him.

Jacklyn lied about his age to enlist in the Marine Corps in 1942. At 14, he was still flat-out too young. But the war was a clarion call for him. To serve was a calling greater than fear or flesh—a chance to fight for something eternal.

His faith carried him through every grueling moment. He found strength in scripture, carrying a Bible in his chest pocket. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) wasn’t just a verse—it was armor.

The Inferno of Iwo Jima

February 19, 1945 — the invasion of Iwo Jima. Marines stormed a volcanic hellscape, bullets cutting air like screams, fire erupting from every crevice.

Lucas was with the 1st Marine Division, just days shy of his 17th birthday. The air was thick with smoke and death. His comrades moved forward, each step a prayer.

Then, the moment that forged his name into war’s grim ledger.

Two live grenades landed among the Marines. Without hesitation, Lucas dove on them, pressing his body down to smother the blasts.

Both grenades detonated almost simultaneously.

Shrapnel ripped into his flesh—his back, legs, arms torn to ribbons. He was blinded in one eye, partly deaf, and left severely wounded. But he saved the lives of at least two dozen men.

Medal of Honor, Youngest Marine

For this act, Jacklyn Lucas became the youngest Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in World War II history.

General Alexander Vandegrift said simply:

"There is nothing I can say other than Lucas is one of the bravest men the Corps has ever seen."

From his Medal of Honor citation:

"Lying flat upon the ground, Lucas unhesitatingly threw himself on not one, but two enemy grenades, thus saving the lives of his comrades at the risk of his own life."

The scars ran deep, but so did the pride. He carried the medal like a torch—not for glory, but to remind others what sacrifice truly means.

A Legacy Written in Blood and Grace

Jacklyn Lucas survived the war, wrestling with pain both physical and spiritual. But his story echoes beyond medals and wounds.

Courage is a defiant act amid chaos. It is flawed and imperfect—wrapped in flesh as vulnerable as anyone’s. Lucas was no invincible hero. He was young and terrified, yet he chose others over himself.

His legacy whispers to every soldier who faces the crack of rifles and the whine of grenades: Stand. Protect. Live for something greater.

In his own words:

“I only hope that in the end, all the suffering has meant something.”

He lived long enough to see generations grapple with the cost of war, and carry forward the prayer of redemption.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15).

To honor Jacklyn Harold Lucas is to remember what war burns into a man’s soul. The price paid, the brotherhood forged in fire, the quiet heroism beneath the chaos. His body bore the scars, but his spirit stands immortal.

Young blood spilled for a cause far bigger than youth itself. A sacrificial legacy that refuses to fade.