WWII teen hero gravely ill with cancer
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - June 3, 2008 Eighty-year-old Jack Lucas, who lied his way into the Marines at
age 14, was nearly killed when he used his body to shield his
fellow Marines from grenades on Iwo Jima in February 1945. He was
just a few days past his 17th birthday at the time.
He received the Medal of Honor from President Truman later that
year, becoming the youngest Marine to receive the award.
D.K. Drum, whose book "Indestructible" tells Lucas' story,
said Monday that he is in "grave" condition at Forrest General
Hospital in Hattiesburg, where family and friends are staying with
him 24 hours a day.
"He is fighting very hard, very hard," Drum said. "It's
probably his hardest fight, but he's not giving up." Lucas did not
have the energy for an interview Monday, Drum said.
A native of North Carolina, Lucas was already eager to join the
Marines at age 13.
"At 14, I told 'em I was 17 and joined up," he said in an
Associated Press interview in October 1945. "The Lucases are all
tough fighters."
In February 1945, shortly after his 17th birthday, he was with
Allied forces that landed on the beach at Iwo Jima. While in a
trench with three fellow squad members, he spotted two grenades on
the ground, covering them with his body.
He was severely wounded when one grenade went off and survived
multiple surgeries and months in the hospital.
Over the decades, the colorful Lucas became a symbol of
patriotism and has been sought out by many to tell his story.
"Indestructible" was written for a seventh-grade audience to
reach as many people as possible.
"If he has a chance to say one thing to people, it's to never
say `I can't,"' Drum said. "You don't know what you can do until
you try."