Robert H. Jenkins Jr., Marine Medal of Honor Recipient in Vietnam

Jan 09 , 2026

Robert H. Jenkins Jr., Marine Medal of Honor Recipient in Vietnam

The flash of shrapnel. The deadly arc of a grenade spinning through chaos. Time slowed. Robert H. Jenkins Jr., a Marine, saw the threat clear as daylight—but no one else had a chance. Without hesitation, Jenkins threw himself over his brothers. The grenade exploded beneath his body. His flesh torn, his life slipping away, he saved them all at the cost of his own.

Origins of a Warrior: Humble Beginnings, Hardened Faith

Robert Henry Jenkins Jr. was born November 15, 1948, in New Bern, North Carolina, a town marked by quiet resilience. Growing up, Jenkins absorbed the discipline and faith that would carry him through the hell of Vietnam. His family’s church was a sanctuary, a refuge from a world spinning uncontrollably. The creed of service ran strong—to protect, to sacrifice, to stand unyielding.

Jenkins enlisted in the Marines in 1967 at 18. Not just for patriotism, but to forge purpose. His personal motto was simple: “No man left behind.” He believed the sacred bond of a unit transcended fear, pain, and death. Like the words etched in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Jenkins carried that quiet strength forward, anchored in faith and the warrior’s code.

The Battle That Defined Him: Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, March 5, 1969

On that brutal afternoon near Quang Nam Province, Jenkins was a Private First Class with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines. The terrain was a jagged maze of jungle and fire. Enemy troops spilled hostile lead and buried lethal traps.

Enemy grenades rained down onto his squad’s position. One landed mere inches from his comrades. Jenkins had no time to choose. He hurled himself over it—an unthinking shield, a steel wall of flesh and bone.

The grenade detonated beneath him. The explosion tore through his body. His left arm and both legs were shattered. Yet, in those final moments, Jenkins ordered his men to keep fighting. His voice, though weakened, commanded courage from the brink of death.

Medics rushed in. Jenkins’ injuries were mortal, but his sacrifice bought his comrades precious seconds—seconds that saved lives.

Honor Etched in Blood: Medal of Honor and Lasting Praise

For his act of selflessness, Robert H. Jenkins Jr. was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The citation did not mince words:

“Private First Class Jenkins unhesitatingly threw himself upon the grenade... thereby absorbing the full force of the explosion. As a result of his extraordinary heroism and supreme devotion to duty, he saved the lives of his fellow Marines at the cost of his own.”

Commanders and comrades alike echoed the weight of his actions. Lieutenant Carlyle Luke, Jenkins’ platoon leader, said decades later:

“To see a young Marine throw himself on a grenade—it was the bravest thing I ever witnessed. Jenkins’ spirit still stands tall with us.”

His name is etched at the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a testament to valor carved out in raw sacrifice.

Legacy in Scars and Scripture: Courage Beyond Death

Robert H. Jenkins Jr.’s story is not a tale of glory. It’s a ledger of pain paid forward—a ledger every combat vet knows well. His sacrifice embodied the brutal calculus of war: some pay ultimate price so others live.

His faith, his grit, and his unwillingness to yield echo in every brother-in-arms who takes that final bullet for a buddy. Jenkins’ life speaks beyond medals. It calls for honor, responsibility, and redemption in a fractured world.

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

In remembering Jenkins, we wrestle with our own debts and debts unpaid. His death screams a challenge to both warriors and civilians: What would you risk to save another? What will you do with their sacrifice?

Final Entry — The Last Watch

Jenkins stood watch between life and death that day, choosing others first. His story is a raw pulse beneath the surface of every uniform, every medal, every faded photograph.

We carry his memory like a wound—open, burning, real. It demands honor, demands remembrance, demands purpose with every breath.

His blood baptized sacrifice into legend.

And so we fight on.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, “Medal of Honor Recipients: Vietnam War,” Marine Corps University Press. 2. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Citation for Robert H. Jenkins Jr. 3. Luke, Carlyle R., Platoon Leader’s Account of Vietnam Combat, 1995 Oral History Archive, Veterans History Project.