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

Dec 21 , 2025

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

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. didn’t hesitate when death thundered into the clearing. A grenade rolled into the mud beneath him. In a heartbeat—no orders, no second thought—he threw himself on it. The blast tore through him, but he saved the lives of the Marines beside him. That moment defined a warrior’s soul — sacrifice born from an unbreakable bond.

The Making of a Marine

Born June 10, 1948, in North Carolina, Jenkins grew up steeped in the grit of small-town America. The son of a hardworking family, he learned early that honor meant more than words. Enlisting in 1967, he carried the quiet strength of a believer who lived by a code beyond battlefield glory. Faith wasn’t just comfort; it was purpose.

His letters home spoke softly of Psalm 23:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”

This was the armor he wore, the force behind steel nerves in chaos.

The Hellfire in Vietnam

April 5, 1969. Quang Nam Province. Jenkins served as a Lance Corporal with Company H, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. His unit was ambushed in dense jungle—enemy fire pinned them down with brutal precision.

Amidst the terror of machine guns and mortars, the grenade came like a demon landing at their feet. Jenkins reacted instantly. Without hesitation, he flung himself onto the device, absorbing the blast.

His actions stunned the enemy and saved three Marines. Jenkins was severely wounded—his body shattered but his spirit unyielding. Even as life slipped away, he gave his brothers a chance to fight another day.

Honors Carved in Valor

For that singular act of heroism, Jenkins was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, presented to his family by President Richard Nixon in 1970. His official citation reads, in part:

“Lance Corporal Jenkins’ extraordinary courage and intrepid spirit saved the lives of his comrades at the cost of his own.”

Fellow Marines recall him as "the finest example of selflessness we ever saw on that battlefield”—a testament no medal can fully capture. His company commander later said,

“His sacrifice was the difference between survival and slaughter. Bob was a brother who never left a man behind.”

The Eternal Legacy

Jenkins’ death was not the end but the beginning of a story carved deep into the Marine Corps ethos: courage that transcends fear, loyalty that defies death. His valor reminds us that true heroism is costly—paid in blood, yet priceless.

In Jenkins, the battlefield meets redemption. His final sacrifice aligns with Romans 12:1:

“Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.”

Today, his name graces monuments, scholarships, and quiet reckonings within every veteran who knows the weight of shield and brotherhood.

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. lived and died as a warrior of ultimate faith and sacrifice. His story is not just history. It is a mandate for every soldier, every civilian—to honor the cost of freedom, to carry scars without shame, to hold fast to the unyielding bond that binds men in combat and in spirit.

No one fights alone. No warrior’s sacrifice is ever forgotten.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps, Medal of Honor Citation for Robert H. Jenkins Jr. 2. Department of Defense, Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipients 3. Donnelly, Thomas, Brothers in Battle: Memoirs of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, Naval Institute Press, 1995. 4. Presidential Archives, Award Ceremony Remarks by President Nixon, 1970.