Medal of Honor recipient Jacklyn Lucas, 17, saved Marines at Iwo Jima

Nov 14 , 2025

Medal of Honor recipient Jacklyn Lucas, 17, saved Marines at Iwo Jima

Jacklyn Harold Lucas was 17 years old when he stared death in the face and chose to die for his brothers instead. In the chaos of Iwo Jima’s hellfire, two grenades landed at his feet. Without hesitation, he threw himself atop them. The explosions tore through his body—scars that would last a lifetime, but a life he still held by grace alone.

Blood and Faith Before the War

Born in 1928 in Plymouth, North Carolina, Lucas ran headlong into manhood during the Great Depression’s tail end. By 14, he was too restless for school and too fiery for idle hands. He lied about his age, two years younger than the Marines’ minimum, just to get in.[1] His faith never wavered—his mother’s prayers and the Bible’s promises a compass in the dark.

“I wanted to save someone,” he later said, “because I knew that’s what Christ taught us—lay down your life for your friends.” His code was clear: courage under fire, honor above fear, and sacrifice when the moment screamed for it.

Iwo Jima: The Fiery Baptism

February 1945. Iwo Jima—one of the deadliest fights of the Pacific Theatre. At the foot of Mount Suribachi, the air hung thick with smoke and death. Lucas, just out of his teens, was already bloodied from combat but refused to back down.

Two grenades bounced off the volcanic ash in a split second. Without thought, he dove.

Filled with shrapnel, burns, and broken bones, he survived what should have been an instant death sentence. Troopers saved him less by medicine than a miracle. The words of Psalm 91 echoed over the noise:

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.”

His selfless act saved at least two Marines. But the brutal price? Nearly 250 pieces of shrapnel tore through his body; his face and chest needed more than 200 stitches.

Valor Recognized

Lucas’s Medal of Honor citation flows with the weight it deserves. Signed by President Harry Truman, it declared:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty...he unhesitatingly threw himself upon the grenades to save the lives of those around him.” [2]

Still, the young Marine refused to let the medal define him. One comrade recalled Lucas as “the bravest kid I ever saw”— not because of the medal, but because he never lost his boyish grin or fierce loyalty.

A Legacy Written in Scars and Faith

Jack Lucas survived wounds that should have killed him three times over. He lived the decades after war as a testament to redemption and the cost of courage. His story warns that heroism isn’t about glory. It’s about gut, grit, and the willingness to sacrifice for another.

“The medal I wear isn’t for me,” Lucas said. “It’s for the Marines who didn’t get to come home.”

For every civilian, every soldier, every man and woman who wrestles with fear—his scars tell a simple truth: Love means risking everything.

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

Jacklyn Harold Lucas carried the weight of war and the hope of salvation. His is a legacy carved in fire, flesh, and faith. To honor him is to remember that valor wears no age, and sacrifice has no expiration. It endures beyond medals, beyond history, beyond life itself.

Sources

1. Naval History and Heritage Command, Jacklyn Harold Lucas: Youngest Medal of Honor Recipient 2. United States Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II