Profiles of American Service: Private First Class Jacklyn Lucas

Written by Will Armstrong, History Associates

The Marine “deserter” who earned the Medal of Honor

You could say that Jack Lucas was something of a troublemaker in the Marines.  He lied to get in, then deserted his post when it didn’t suit him.  Declared AWOL and demoted, he finally reappeared as a stowaway on a troopship far away from the rest of his unit.  But despite his disregard for certain rules, Lucas was more patriot than troublemaker.  He had boarded the troopship because it was Iwo Jima bound.  Within hours of arriving there, Lucas became the youngest Marine to ever earn the Medal of Honor.

While it was not uncommon for young men to lie about their age to join the military, few World War II veterans had signed on as 14-year-old high school freshmen.  But big, athletic Jack Lucas, a cadet at the Edwards Military Institute in North Carolina, was determined to fool the Marine recruiters.  He enlisted in August 1942 with forged documents and saw duty at several Stateside locations before being sent to Pearl Harbor in late 1943. The Marines eventually discovered his true age, and while they did not discharge him, they kept him well away from combat duties.

At Pearl Harbor, Private First Class Lucas served with a Marine Base Depot.  Though it was important, the duty did not suit him—he wanted to be a combat Marine.  In January 1945 he left his unit without authorization. He made his way to the docks where he snuck aboard the attack transport USS Deuel, hiding among men of the 5^th Marine Division destined for the assault on Iwo Jima.  His shipmates, appreciating Lucas’ desire to assist in the coming invasion, did not alert their superiors to his presence and even shared their rations.  When he finally turned himself in, instead of being punished he was assigned to Headquarters Company for the invasion.  He was about to turn seventeen.

When he hit the beach Lucas did not even have a rifle, so he took one dropped by a fallen Marine.  The next day, with no break in the vicious fighting, his group was pounced upon by Japanese soldiers.  Lucas’ rifle jammed after only one shot, and before he knew it, two Japanese grenades were lying at his feet.  Determined to save the lives of his buddies, he smothered both grenades.  After his fellow Marines defeated the remaining enemy soldiers, they approached his mangled body, thrown in the air by the force of the explosion.  To their surprise, Lucas had survived the blast and was still conscious. 

His self-sacrifice at Iwo Jima earned Lucas the Medal of Honor.  Evacuated to a hospital ship, he underwent 21 surgeries.  Many small grenade fragments were never removed, and Lucas would set off metal detectors for the rest of his life.  While he recovered, the Marines forgave his unauthorized absence and restored his rank.  Private First Class Jacklyn Lucas passed away in 2008.

The National Museum of Americans in Wartime honors the service of Jack Lucas and all other Americans who have served the cause of freedom.

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