20FEB1945: After lying about his age to enlist in the Marines at 14, Pfc Jack Lucas went AWOL from his unit in Hawaii in hopes of making his way to a combat unit. After stowing away on a transport ship, Lucas made himself known and rather than face a court-martial, he was attached to Marine infantry unit set to go ashore in the coming days at Iwo Jima. Just barely 17 when he landed on Iwo Jima, Lucas survived day one of the deadly battle and was with four other men maneuvering through an enemy trench system when they were spotted. As his rifle jammed, Lucas dropped to a knee to correct the malfunction and was the only man in the group to spot a grenade land in their midst. Without hesitation, Lucas jumped past a fellow Marine to shove the grenade into the sand and cover it with his body. As he did so, a second grenade landed nearby which he grabbed and pulled under his body as well. The ensuing blast threw him into the air and peppered him with over 250 pieces of searing hot shrapnel. His fellow Marines were sure he was dead and continued their mission but miraculously, Lucas survived the blast. Shortly, as they were passing by, another group of Marines noticed Lucas and alerted a stretcher team to take him to the rear for treatment. After 20+ surgeries and as full a recovery as was possible, the 17-year old Lucas was presented the Medal of Honor by President Truman. Jack Lucas became the youngest service-member in WWII to receive the honor and the youngest Marine in history.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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