Jacklyn Lucas Youngest WWII Medal of Honor Recipient at Iwo Jima

Jan 15 , 2026

Jacklyn Lucas Youngest WWII Medal of Honor Recipient at Iwo Jima

He was fifteen when war reached deep into his bones—too young to draft, but old enough to bleed for his brothers. Jacklyn Harold Lucas dove headfirst into hell, not with hesitation but a fierce will to protect. When two grenades landed among his squad on a Pacific island, he threw himself over them—twice—and lived to tell the story written in the scars he never tried to hide.

From Small-Town Roots to the Forge of War

Jacklyn Lucas came from a simple American background, born in Plymouth, North Carolina, in 1928. The Great Depression had carved hardship into every corner of his youth, toughening a boy who left school early and chased the war like a rite of passage. The Marines didn’t see his age at first; he lied about it. At fifteen, when most boys were still dreaming, Lucas was punching his ticket to the crucible of combat.

Faith was a quiet undercurrent. Raised in a modest Christian home, the scriptures shaped his sense of right, duty, and sacrifice—a code that would anchor him when the bullets screamed. “Greater love hath no man than this,” the words haunted him, sharpening his instinct to put others before himself long before the island of Iwo Jima.

Iwo Jima: The Island of Fire and Blood

February 1945. The battle for Iwo Jima was a nightmare of volcanic ash and lethal fire. Lucas served with the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, part of the 5th Marine Division—a force tasked with seizing a fortress of death.

On the fifth day, amidst ravaged terrain and heavy enemy fire, Lucas’s platoon came under attack. Two grenades landed in their midst. Without hesitation, Jacklyn hurled himself onto the explosives—once. Twice. His body absorbed the blast.

He should have died there. Instead, he suffered severe wounds—ears nearly torn off, multiple shrapnel wounds, his vision damaged by the concussion. Yet he lived, the youngest Marine to survive such an act on that island of fire.

The Medal and the Words That Followed

For his actions, Jacklyn Harold Lucas became the youngest to receive the Medal of Honor in WWII, awarded at age 17. President Truman himself presented the medal in 1945, naming Lucas’s sacrifice “a powerful symbol of courage.”

His citation is terse but tells all that must be said:

“By his heroic action, Private Lucas saved the lives of his comrades and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

His commanding officers called him “the embodiment of valor.” Fellow Marines recalled a boy with an old man’s resolve.

After the war, Lucas spoke sparingly but never shied from the price paid:

“You don’t think about glory. You think about your buddies. If something drops near you in combat, you don’t check the clock—you act.”

A Legacy Carved in Flesh and Spirit

Jacklyn Lucas didn’t just survive war—he bore it as a badge and a burden. His story speaks past hero worship. It confronts a harrowing truth: sacrifice is raw, immediate, and costly beyond measure.

His scars were physical, but the deeper wounds were the ones unseen—the haunting memories and the heavy cost still carried decades after the war ended.

He lived beyond the battlefield, working as a pipefitter and later for the Veterans Administration. His life was testimony to redemption—not just surviving, but reclaiming purpose from pain. It’s there, in every veteran’s shadow, where faith and grit meet.

“He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases strength.” — Isaiah 40:29

Lucas’s legacy refuses to fade because it challenges us all: to face fear with action, to bear consequences with dignity, to serve beyond self.

His sacrifice is a solemn beacon—a reminder that courage is born in the crucible of choice and that redemption waits for those willing to stand in the fire for their brothers.

Sources

1. Naval History and Heritage Command – “Jacklyn Harold Lucas: Youngest MOH Recipient, WWII” 2. U.S. Marine Corps Archive – Medal of Honor Citations, 5th Marine Division, Iwo Jima, 1945 3. They Were Young and Brave, Richard E. Killblane, 1995 4. Truman Presidential Library – Medal of Honor Presentation Speech