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

Dec 10 , 2025

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

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. stood in the mud and blood of Vietnam, heart pounding like thunder in a storm. The air shattered with gunfire, and every breath carried the taste of smoke and death. A hand grenade landed among his squad—there was no time to think, only to act. Jenkins threw himself onto that fragmenting sphere of death, absorbing the blast with his own body. His sacrifice was absolute.

Background & Faith

Born in South Carolina in 1948, Jenkins grew up in a world that demanded toughness and resolve. The son of a working-class family, he carried a quiet strength and an unshakable sense of duty. Church on Sundays, a strong belief in God’s providence, and a personal code hammered by hardship shaped the man he became.

Faith wasn’t some empty phrase. It grounded him in the chaos. Scripture was more than words—it was armor. He lived by the conviction nailed deep in Romans 12:1:

“Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.”

This was Jenkins’ quiet war song—the promise that his life was not his own.

The Battle That Defined Him

On March 5, 1969, Jenkins was a Private First Class with the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, operating near An Hoa Combat Base, Quang Nam Province.

His unit walked into an ambush thick with enemy fire. The night exploded with tracer rounds and grenades. Enemy combatants were closing. The squad splintered, pinned by relentless machine gun fire. Jenkins knew every second counted.

When a grenade landed at the feet of his fellow Marines, Jenkins didn’t hesitate. He dove forward and covered the deadly grenade with his body, shielding his comrades from the blast. The explosion tore into him, severing his legs and mangling much of his body.

In those final seconds, Jenkins’ selfless act spared the lives of at least three Marines.

Recognition

The Medal of Honor citation for Jenkins highlights his heroism with brutal clarity:

“Pfc. Jenkins' indomitable courage, self-sacrificing efforts, and unwavering devotion to duty reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service.”

President Richard Nixon awarded Jenkins the Medal of Honor posthumously on December 14, 1970[1]. The honor immortalized a name written in blood and valor.

Fellow Marines remembered Jenkins as quiet but iron-willed. Gunnery Sergeant James B. Hodgson, a squad leader, said,

"He didn’t want glory. Just to do what was right. That kind of courage doesn’t come from nowhere—it’s in the soul."

Legacy & Lessons

Robert H. Jenkins Jr.’s story cuts deeper than medals. It wrestles with what sacrifice costs—and what it truly means to stand between death and your brothers.

His life speaks of the warrior ethic writ small and large—a raw reminder that courage isn’t loud. It’s in the split-second choice to put others first, even at the end.

Jenkins’ death challenges us all: What would we sacrifice? What keeps us fighting when the darkest moments come?

There is redemption in that question. In his act, Jenkins embodied the promise of Isaiah 6:8:

“Here am I; send me.”

His sacrifice endures beyond the humid jungles of Vietnam, a beacon for every warrior who walks the line between life and death.

His blood writes a ledger of hope and honor. And it demands that we never forget what it means to be a brother, a soldier, a guardian.

Sources

1. United States Marine Corps, Medal of Honor citation, Robert H. Jenkins Jr. 2. Nixon Presidential Library, Medal of Honor presentation speech, 1970 3. Marine Corps History Division, 3rd Recon Battalion operations, Vietnam 1969 4. Hodgson, James B., Oral History Interview, USMC Vietnam Veterans Archive