Subscribe to Simple History on YouTube!

A video put together by Simple History portrays the heroic actions WW2 Marine, Jack Lucas took on the afternoon of February 19th, 1945.

Lucas served with the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division. On Lucas’ second day in combat in the Pacific, two Japanese grenades fell into the trench he was sharing with three fellow Marines. After noticing the grenades, Lucas made the selfless act to throw himself onto one grenade, while simultaneously grabbing the second one and clinching it to himself. The grenades exploded, and would later leave Lucas with grievous wounds and over 250 pieces of shrapnel throughout his body.

From his heroic actions, Lucas was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on October 5th, 1945, presented by President Harry S. Truman. Lucas was one of 27 servicemen to eventually be awarded the nation’s highest decoration for bravery during the Battle of Iwo Jima.