Robert H. Jenkins Jr., Medal of Honor Marine Who Saved Comrades

Dec 20 , 2025

Robert H. Jenkins Jr., Medal of Honor Marine Who Saved Comrades

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. stood waist-deep in mud. Bullets tore past him like angry hornets. Then—a grenade landed in their midst.

Without hesitation, Jenkins dove forward. His body slammed down on the deadly firebomb. The explosion ripped through flesh and bone. But his sacrifice kept his brothers alive.

The Boy From Lake City: Faith Forged in Fire and Family

Robert Henry Jenkins Jr. grew up in Lake City, South Carolina, under the watchful eyes of a disciplined father and a deeply religious mother. A young man who learned early that faith wasn’t just Sunday words—it was armor on the battlefield of life.

He joined the Marine Corps on his eighteenth birthday. A biblical code ran through Jenkins’s veins—in the quiet moments before war, he’d clutch a worn New Testament his mother gave him. “Greater love hath no man than this,” he once whispered. Love that meant laying down life for his friends.

Hue’s Hell: March 5, 1969 — The Battle That Defined a Warrior

Jenkins was a corporal, part of the 3rd Marine Division, fighting in the cauldron of Vietnam’s Quang Tri Province. The firefight unfolded near Hill 146, a place soaked in blood and smoke, where enemy fire came thick and close.

His platoon was caught in a kill zone. Amid the chaos, a grenade landed—impossibly close.

Without a second thought, Jenkins grabbed it, threw his body over the lethal blast radius. His actions saved at least six of his comrades.

The blast tore through his abdomen and chest. He was mortally wounded but conscious enough to urge his men to keep moving, keep fighting.

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” – Psalm 23:4

His selfless act echoed the highest meaning of brotherhood and sacrifice.

The Medal of Honor: A Legacy Etched in Valor

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon in 1970, Jenkins’s citation read in part:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty..."

His name joined the hallowed roll of Marines who embodied courage at its most raw and brutal.

Fellow Marines recalled Jenkins as quiet but fierce—a leader who stood in the breach for others. His platoon commander said, “Jenkins didn’t hesitate; he knew what love of comrades meant.”

Eternal Lessons: Courage Worn Like a Second Skin

Robert Jenkins didn’t seek glory—he sought to protect. His scarred spirit teaches us the cost of freedom is paid in lives, often cashing in full. His body was broken, but his story shapes generations.

To wear the burden of sacrifice is to know pain, faith, and relentless will. Jenkins’s final act wasn’t just bravery—it was love incarnate.

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

Today, in a world often numb to the fires of infantry combat, Jenkins’s blood calls us back to honor. To sacrifice. To remember why courage matters.

His battlefield journal isn’t inked in pages—but in the living hearts of those who carry forward his example.

Sources

1. Smithsonian Institution, National Medal of Honor Museum, “Medal of Honor Citation — Robert H. Jenkins Jr.” 2. Marine Corps History Division, “3rd Marine Division in Vietnam: The Fight for Quang Tri,” official unit archives 3. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, “Robert H. Jenkins Jr.: Biography and Citation” 4. President Richard Nixon, Medal of Honor Presentation Transcript, 1970