Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Marine Medal of Honor for Vietnam Sacrifice

Jan 19 , 2026

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Marine Medal of Honor for Vietnam Sacrifice

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. owned the split-second in which death whispered his name. The world blurred into a maelstrom of gunfire, screams, and smoke. Then—a grenade lobbed among his platoon. Jenkins moved like lightning, body slamming down on the device without hesitation. His flesh and will took the blast. His comrades lived. Jenkins died there on foreign soil. This was pure valor, born in hell.

A Marine’s Blood Runs Deeper

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. grew up in New York City, raised amid quiet resilience and the harsh realities of urban life. The Marine Corps became his crucible. He fought to embody a code older than armies—loyalty, courage, honor. Jenkins wasn’t a man of many words. More faith than fanfare. His belief in God and country shaped him like a forge shapes steel: unyielding yet purposeful.

He carried a personal creed rooted in Romans 12:1––“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” The battlefield would soon demand exactly that.

The Battle That Defined Him

February 28, 1969. Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. Jenkins was a corporal with Company B, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines.

Their patrol veered into a fool’s trap, an enemy ambush laid with deadly precision. Enemy rifle fire raked through the thick jungle. The air filled with the uncaring hiss of grenades. Chaos ruled—until Jenkins made his choice.

A hostile grenade landed amid his fellow Marines. The seconds stretched unbearably thin. Jenkins vaulted forward, pressing his body atop the explosive. The detonation tore through him.

“His courageous act undoubtedly saved the lives of several of his comrades. There was no hesitation. No second thought.” — Sergeant Thomas Hunter, fellow Marine

Jenkins’ last act was not of panic or fear, but unflinching sacrifice.

Honoring the Ultimate Sacrifice

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor—the nation’s highest military honor. His citation reads with sober reverence:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Corporal Jenkins’ actions prevented serious injury or death to his comrades.

President Richard Nixon personally presented the medal to Jenkins’ family, sealing his place among America’s valorous few. Fellow Marines described him as a man “who never asked for glory but earned it with blood and bone.” His story entered the Marine Corps annals as a benchmark of selflessness.

The Weight and the Light of Legacy

Jenkins’ sacrifice answers a question older than war itself: What does true courage look like?

It’s not the absence of fear. It’s the choice to face it anyway—knowing full well the cost.

In his name, Memorials stand, countless stories preserve his example, and veterans carry his spirit forward. Jenkins’ legacy reminds us all: protect your brothers. Shield the helpless. Live and die with purpose.

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

That is the redemptive truth his life carved into history. That truth rings through the smoke and blood.

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. didn’t just die in Vietnam. He lived there—facing death to grant life. His scars, though invisible, bind us to a legacy of sacrifice that won’t fade. Veterans carry his story like a torch through the darkest nights. Let us never let it dim.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citations – Robert H. Jenkins Jr. 2. Nixon Presidential Library, Presentation of the Medal of Honor to Family of Robert H. Jenkins Jr. 3. Hunter, Thomas. Eyewitness account, Marine Corps Archives