Indestructible Jack Lucas
From History Dispatches by Matt and McKinley Breen
April 21, 2026 · 14 min · Season 2 · Episode 137
About this episode
The episode tells the story of Jack Lucas, the youngest Marine to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery during World War II.
In 1942, 14-year old Jack Lucas lied about his age to join the Marines - even bribing a notary to attest he was 17. Tired of missing out on the action, he later abandoned his unit to join another marine detachment - which was bound for Iwo Jima. He then joined in the invasion of the island - and in the process - became the youngest Marine to ever receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. He did this by diving on two grenades to save the lives of his comrades - and - miraculously - survived. This is the story of indestructible Jack Lucas. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year. New subscribers only, varies by plan. 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year while subscription is active. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacklyn_H._Lucas https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/incredible-story-jack-lucas-youngest-medal-honor-recipient-world-war-ii https://www.military.com/marine-corps-birthday/badass-of-the-week-jacklyn-h-lucas.html Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lucas_JH.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History…
People in this episode
Hosts: Matt Breen, McKinley Breen
Topics covered
- World War II
- Medal of Honor
- Marine Corps
- Iwo Jima
- heroism
- youth in war
Keywords
- Jack Lucas
- Medal of Honor
- Iwo Jima
- Marine Corps
- World War II
- hero
- bravery
- youth
Sponsors
Factor
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Airwave Media Network, Wikipedia, National WWII Museum, Military.com
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