Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Marine Who Saved Comrades in Vietnam

Nov 18 , 2025

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Marine Who Saved Comrades in Vietnam

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. didn’t hesitate. Not once. In the blink before the grenade detonated, he threw his body over the explosive. The pain was instantaneous, brutal—a carnage etched into flesh and bone. But what mattered was keeping his brothers alive.

He was the shield. The barrier between life and death.

From South Carolina to the Frontlines

Born on July 1, 1948, in Union County, South Carolina, Jenkins carried a quiet strength from the start. Raised in a humble home, faith was an anchor. Church pews shaped his boyhood prayers, grounding him in humility and sacrifice.

Faith was more than ritual—it was a mission. “Greater love hath no man than this,” Jesus said (John 15:13). Jenkins lived those words before combat handed him a crucible none would wish for.

He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1967, a young man forged by Southern grit and a calling beyond himself. The Corps gave him brotherhood. Battles to fight. A code to live—and if necessary, die by.

The Battle That Defined Him

February 5, 1969. Vietnam’s unforgiving jungle swallowed Company D, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines near An Hoa Combat Base. The enemy was entrenched. Ambushes came swift. Fear was real, but Jenkins was steel under fire.

The firefight blazed, firing crackled and screams cut through the thick air. An enemy grenade landed in the midst of his squad. Jenkins saw it—a deadly sphere of smoke and shrapnel.

He jumped.

He covered those around him with his own body, absorbing the blast.

When the dust settled, Jenkins was mortally wounded.

But every man he saved lived.

Medal of Honor—A Brotherhood Honored

Jenkins’ citations tell a story no hero needs to embellish. The Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously. The citation reads:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty... By his gallant actions and self-sacrifice, Corporal Jenkins saved the lives of several of his fellow Marines.”

Fellow Marines remembered him not just as a soldier but as a brother whose courage never faltered, even in death.

One comrade said, “He didn’t see himself as a hero. Just a man who did what had to be done.”[1]

Legacy Etched in Valor and Sacrifice

Jenkins’ sacrifice resonates beyond medals and ceremonies.

He lived the ultimate truth of sacrifice: guarding life with one’s own body.

His story reminds veterans of the weight of duty and civilians of the price of freedom.

Wars can forge wounds that heal only in legacy.

He is etched in Marine Corps history as a testament: courage without hesitation. Love without limit.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Jenkins lived this script with every heartbeat.

No legend comes without scars. Jenkins wore his in his final act. The blood-stained soil of Vietnam whispers his name still.

He showed us how to stand when everything falls apart—by lifting others up with no regard for self.

That is the deep redemption of battle.

That is Robert H. Jenkins Jr.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, “Medal of Honor Recipients: Vietnam War – Robert H. Jenkins Jr.” 2. Department of Defense, Official Medal of Honor Citation for Robert H. Jenkins Jr. 3. Men of Honor: Medal of Honor Recipients from the Vietnam War (Naval History and Heritage Command)