Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Marine Who Fell on a Grenade in Vietnam

Dec 21 , 2025

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Marine Who Fell on a Grenade in Vietnam

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. felt the grenade before his brothers did. The ticking death, cold and final, landed in their midst. No time, no hesitation. He threw himself onto the blast to shield them all. The explosion tore him apart, but his sacrifice held. His last breath was for the men he loved.

A Son of South Carolina and Steel Resolve

Born in Aiken, South Carolina, Jenkins carried a quiet strength forged in small-town values and Southern grit. Raised with a faith that ran deep—church pews and Sunday prayers—he knew early the weight of sacrifice.

God’s command to “love one another” was never abstract. It shaped the man he would become: loyal beyond reason, courageous without show. His Marine Corps enlistment was no escape—it was purpose. The uniform a promise to stand in the gap.

February 5, 1969: Hell at An Hoa

Jenkins was a Private First Class with Company A, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division—grunts in dense Vietnamese jungle near An Hoa.

Enemy fire was fierce and relentless. They were pinned down, surrounded by snapping machine gun bursts and mortar shrapnel. Movement meant death.

Then came the grenade—an enemy’s cruel gift, tossed directly into their midst during chaotic close combat.

He didn’t shout a warning. No time. With instinct carved from all his training and faith, Jenkins dove—body flung on top of the grenade.

The blast threw men back like ragdolls, but the crater wasn’t just earth—it was Jenkins’ own insides, shredded.

His comrades survived, untouched by the deadly fragments meant for them.

He didn’t make it.

The Medal of Honor: Valor Etched in Blood

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, Jenkins' citation speaks for itself:

“By his valiant and selfless act of valor, Private First Class Jenkins saved the lives of several fellow Marines at the cost of his own.”1

Commanding officers remembered him as “the embodiment of Marine Corps values.” Fellow Marines spoke of Jenkins’ unshakable calm under fire, a rock amid chaos.

General Robert E. Cushman Jr., Commandant of the Marine Corps at the time, said Jenkins’ sacrifice stood as a shining example of Marine courage and brotherhood.

Forged in Sacrifice, Carried in Legacy

Jenkins’ legacy is not just in medals or memorials. It’s in every Marine who hears his story and knows what it means to be truly selfless.

Sacrifice is never convenient.

He reminds us that courage under fire isn’t about glory—it’s about the men beside you, the lives you protect.

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

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. went to war and gave the last measure of devotion so others could live. His story sears the soul—a call not just to remember, but to live worthy of such sacrifice.

Veterans carry scars invisible but profound. Jenkins wears his in eternity.

We owe him that much—and more.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citation: Robert H. Jenkins Jr. 2. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipients 3. General Robert E. Cushman Jr., Address on Medal of Honor Awards, 1969