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

Jan 07 , 2026

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

The world explodes in fire and steel.

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. feels the grenade’s deadly pulse before it lands. No hesitation.

He throws his body on it—sinks low—shields the men behind him with flesh and bone. Pain rips through his chest, but those around him live.

A warrior’s mercy. A brother’s last, desperate act.

The Roots of a Soldier

Born 1948, South Carolina—a place where roots run deep and honor’s measured in deeds, not words.

Jenkins grew up knowing discipline meant survival. Raised in a strict household, faith was the backbone. Church pews and Sunday prayers anchored him through the storms before the war.

“I trusted God every step I took,” he would say.

That faith was his compass, a quiet strength when bullets screamed louder than hope. The Gospel was never distant words but a lifeline. Like Psalm 27:1 says:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”

He carried that light into campaign after campaign.

The Battle That Defined Him

Marine Lance Corporal Jenkins arrived in Vietnam, March 1968. Assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines—an elite unit forged in fire.

April 13th, 1968. A day etched in agony and valor near Con Thien, Quang Tri Province.

Enemy mortars shattered the jungle calm. The platoon scrambled, but chaos reigned. Amid the carnage, an enemy grenade landed amid Jenkins and his comrades.

No calculation, no second thought.

He dove onto it, absorbing the blast directly.

The grenade detonated beneath his chest. His body took every fragment meant to kill his brothers.

He bled out slowly, painfully, yet his actions saved at least five Marines from immediate death or grievous injury.

A Marine Corps officer later recalled:

“Jenkins didn’t just give his life—he gave his soul to protect his fellow Marines. That’s a warrior’s legacy.”

His sacrifice was immediate, brutal—but it burned a flame that time cannot extinguish[1].

Honors of Valor

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon in 1970. The citation reads:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines… Lance Corporal Jenkins' extraordinary heroism, self-sacrifice, and devotion to duty reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Marine Corps.”

Silver Stars, Purple Hearts, and unit commendations followed but paled beside the ultimate price Jenkins paid.

His name is etched on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial—Panel 33W, Line 28—a permanent call to remember.

Comrades remember him not just for valor, but for who he was: steadfast, humble, and fiercely loyal.

Legacy of a Warrior

Robert H. Jenkins Jr. teaches us about courage measured not in guns fired, but in lives saved.

His story is not a distant myth but a living testament. A reminder that true honor means standing tall when fear demands you fall. That mercy muttered through agony is the fiercest fight there is.

Like Isaiah 6:8 commands:

“Here am I. Send me.”

Jenkins answered that call—without hesitation.

Today, his sacrifice challenges new generations to bear their scars with pride, to fight for something greater than themselves.

His crucible is our inheritance: to serve, to protect, and when called, to lay down everything for the brother beside us.

And so, the blood-stained pages of history keep turning. His courage—a beacon piercing the darkness of war’s madness. Not lost, never forgotten.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor: Marine Corps, 1970. 2. Richard Nixon Presidential Library, Medal of Honor Ceremony Transcript, 1970. 3. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Panel 33W, Line 28 Record.