Lucas was the youngest member of the military to receive the Medal of Honor in any conflict other than the Civil War.
Each year on Veterans Day, we honor those who have served our country. Millions upon millions of men and women have answered the call to defend our nation, at times giving their lives.
I've heard a number of stories of bravery and heroism through the years; this is one I'd never heard before and would like to share.
Jacklyn "Jack" Lucas was born in Plymouth, N.C., on Feb. 14, 1928, and was a 13-year-old cadet captain in a military academy when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.
According to his June 2008 obituary in the New York Times, Lucas forged his mother's signature on an enlistment waiver that would have allowed him to join the Marines at 17 rather than the usual 18 ... except he was actually only 14.
While fighting on Iwo Jima in 1945, ""A couple of grenades rolled into the trench," Mr. Lucas said in an interview with the Associated Press later that year. "I hollered to my pals to get out and did a Superman dive at the grenades. But I wasn't a Superman after I got hit," he added, recalling the scream he let out "when that thing went off."
Jack Lucas receives the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Truman in July, 1945. Lucas was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery, becoming the youngest member of the military to receive the Medal of Honor in any conflict other than the Civil War.
The Times went on to note "after the war, Lucas earned a business degree from High Point University in North Carolina and raised, processed and sold beef in the Washington area. In the 1960s, he rejoined the military, becoming an Army paratrooper to conquer his fear of heights."
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"On a training jump, both of his parachutes failed, and Lucas later said his stocky build and a last-second roll as he hit the ground had saved his life."
Lucas died in 2008 at the age of 80. He had been hospitalized with leukemia and died after asking doctors to remove a dialysis machine.
Any of the millions who have served our country deserve to be recognized by Adm. Chester Nimitz's statement about those who fought at Iwo Jima: "Uncommon valor was a common virtue." It still is
In honor of Veterans Day, here's a gallery of veterans from New Jersey.
Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.