Jacklyn Lucas, Youngest Medal of Honor Marine at Tarawa

Jan 27 , 2026

Jacklyn Lucas, Youngest Medal of Honor Marine at Tarawa

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was just a boy with a heart worn raw by war. Nineteen years old. Barely. But on November 20, 1942, he stood in the inferno of Tarawa Lagoon. Two grenades, thrown in rapid succession. No hesitation. He threw his body onto them—twice—absorbing the blasts that would have shredded five men beside him. Twice.

He carried more than wounds. He carried the weight of salvation.

The Bloodied Baptism of a Marine

Born in Plymouth, North Carolina, Lucas was 17 when he tricked his way into the Marines by lying about his age. The country was roiling—World War II demanding every hand, every heart. His mother’s prayers mixed with his own restless grit carved a code of sacrifice deep into his soul.

Faith was the silent backbone. He carried a Bible, worn soft from pockets and palms, a tangible reminder of Psalm 23:4:

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.”

For Jacklyn, this wasn’t poetic comfort. This was armor.

Hellfire at Tarawa Lagoon

By November 1942, Lucas had shipped to the Pacific with the 2nd Marine Division. The Battle of Tarawa was hell—earning a savage reputation as one of the bloodiest fights in the Pacific Theater. The assault force landed in the lagoon under withering Japanese fire. Chaos turned to carnage.

When the first grenade clattered near his squad, the instinct took over. No man left behind. Lucas dove on it without thought. The blast tore through his chest and legs, burning and shattering flesh.

Before the smoke cleared, another grenade landed nearby. Gathering broken fragments of his shattered body, he covered it again. The second explosion blasted his right hand to pieces. Miraculously, he clung to life.

Two grenades. Two shields of flesh and bone. Five men saved.

Medals Worn in Silence

At the age of 17, Jacklyn Lucas became the youngest Marine and youngest serviceman in World War II to receive the Medal of Honor. It arrived by citation dated April 9, 1943, from President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself.

His Medal of Honor citation reads:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty ... upon the landing at Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll ... Pinned down by enemy fire, and with no thought for his own life, Lucas saved the lives of his comrades.” [1]

Colonel David M. Shoup, also a Medal of Honor recipient, later called Lucas’ act “one of the most selfless displays of courage I’ve seen.”

His scars spoke loud—more than words ever could. Through 14 months of surgeries, the young Marine endured pain that would have broken lesser men.

A Legacy Written in Flesh and Faith

Jacklyn Lucas’ story is more than a headline. It’s a testament — how redemption often walks hand in hand with sacrifice. The weight of those grenades was heavier than their metal or explosive. It was the invisible burden of choices writ large: to give life by laying down your own.

Faith didn’t erase the scars. It sanctified them.

Near the end of his life, Lucas said plainly:

“I was just a kid who knew what had to be done. If you’re gonna live through hell, you might as well find some purpose in it.”

His example endures among the brothers and sisters who know war’s cruel cost. It teaches that courage is measured not in moments of glory, but in the brutal seconds when a man reaches out for the lives of others — despite the screaming storm.

Not every hero wears the same armor. Jacklyn Lucas bore his wounds openly, and his story follows us all, a reminder from the valley’s depths.

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

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citation for Jacklyn H. Lucas 2. James E. Wise Jr. and Scott Baron, The Navy Cross: Extraordinary Heroism in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Conflicts 3. Robert Sherrod, Tarawa: The Story of a Battle