Indestructible: The Unforgettable Memoir of a Marine Hero at the Battle of Iwo Jima

By Jack H. Lucas, D. K. Drum and Bob Dole

Medal of Honor recipient Jack H. Lucas’s classic memoir of his heroics at the Battle of Iwo Jima—with a foreword by Bob Dole and reissued to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the battle in 2020.

On February 20, 1945, the second day of the assault on Iwo Jima—one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific theater in World War II—Private Jack Lucas, who was only seventeen, and three other Marines engaged in a close-proximity firefight with Japanese soldiers. When two enemy grenades landed in their trench, Lucas jumped on one and pulled the other under his body to save the lives of his comrades. Lucas was blown into the air as his body was torn apart by 250 entrance wounds. He was so severely wounded that his team left him for dead. Miraculously, he survived.

While on the hospital ship Samaritan, his spirit soared to see the American flag flying atop Mount Suribachi—the same flag immortalized in Joe Rosenthal’s iconic photograph, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. Lucas endured twenty-one grueling surgeries and carried 200 pieces of shrapnel in his body for the rest of his life. Awarded the Medal of Honor, he became the youngest Marine in U.S. history—and the youngest of all World War II servicemen—to receive the honor.

Indestructible tells the remarkable story of an extraordinary American possessed with a fierce determination to serve his country.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jan 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9780062795632

Jack H. Lucas

JACKLYN ""JACK"" HAROLD LUCAS enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on August 6, 1942, at the age of fourteen. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division during the Battle of Iwo Jima. He received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman on October 5, 1945. After graduating from college, he enlisted in the United States Army in 1961 and served four years in the 82nd Airborne Division. He was married to Ruby Lucas and they lived in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 80.

Reviews for Indestructible

[ghr4 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Jack Lucas’s heroic act during World War II’s Battle of Iwo Jima justifiably earned him the Medal of Honor at the age of seventeen. And it is upon that act of courage that his memoir, Indestructible, is centered. Lucas’s account of his courageous smothering of two live grenades beneath him, thereby shielding the blast from several fellow Marines, is indeed riveting; however, the remainder of the book is problematic on many levels. It is repetitive and cliche-ridden. And it is indeed a rare military memoir that is so full of self-aggrandizement and egotism. Heroes are far more appealing under a cloak of modesty. Further, it is disheartening to read Lucas’s admission that he actually exploited the award: “The Medal of Honor opened many doors for me all the rest of my days, taking me almost anywhere I wanted to go.” Lucas also relates the many rules he broke along the way, the many fistfights he had, and he reiterates ad nauseum that he was quite a ladies man. And the episodic narrative of his later problems, marital and otherwise, is really quite depressing. I presume this memoir is meant to be uplifting, but it left me deflated.

[datrappert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lucas's story is truly remarkable. The time in this book actually describing his heroism on Iwo Jima is short, but everything that happens before and after is almost as interesting. Lying about age to join the Marine Corps at 14. Going AWOL to follow a unit to the West Coast to be closer to the battle with Japan rather than accepting his assignment as a trainer. And finally stowing away on a troop ship on its way to Hawaii. And finally, surviving the blast of a hand grenade you have covered with your body to save your three teammates. No one could write this as fiction--it would be too unbelievable. Lucas thanks god for saving him, but I'll put it down to his quick thinking of jamming the hand grenade into Iwo Jima's volcanic ash with the butt of his rifle before he fell on it. The story is also notable for its honesty as it describes his coming of age with various women and his own shortcomings. It would be fashionable to say that Lucas is the type of American they don't make any more, one with an engrained sense of patriotism and duty. Let's hope that isn't true.

[thosgpetri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Indestructible is right. The guy throws himself on a live hand grenade and survives. There were wo grenades involved, but you will have to read the book for more on that. Anyway, Jack had many tragedies in his life, he lost his father at a young age, He was permanently disabled by the hand grenade, and went through 2 wives before finding happiness with wife number 3. But he was a fighter and a free spirit, some of his problems he brought on himself, getting into fights and chasing women even as a married man. He was also compassionate, patriotic, and giving. A great man whose life is worth studying! I received this book through the Librarything Early Reviewers program and was given this chance to write my honest review of it.

[pallandavid · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Indestructible: The Unforgettable Memoir of a Marine Hero at the Battle of Iwo Jima is a conversational memoir by Metal of Honor recipient, Jack Lucas. The tale of his journey from boyhood in rural South Carolina to the lava and ash shores of Iwo Jima, is fascinating. How a 14 year old boy had the drive and determination to join the U.S. Marine Corps, and ultimately become part of the charge onto Iwo Jima less than 3 years later is fun to follow. His act of valor, subsequent recuperation and rejoining of civilian life after WWII are well stated, not a "oh whoa is me" telling, rather the telling of a man who could look at his life in chapters ~ always being thankful for what he had. For having a life to live.As he told his life after the war years, I could only think of the reflection he had. He clearly saw his errors yet continued to persevere. It seems as though most of his life he was a pretty tough and impulsive guy in both public and private life. I truly recommend this book as more than a memoir of one point in the life of an American Hero, but as a fairly full look at the life of a man with faults who was honored as a Hero. Being so honored does not make someone different that they were before, rather, it gives you a reference point as to what is possible.P.S. The Foreword by Bob Dole is an excellent read! Don't skip it.

[eliz12_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Jack H. Lucas was extraordinary in many ways. He truly was a war hero. He was a proud American the likes of which are rarely seen today. He was tough, but he was compassionate. I love that when he wed he said that "The marriage came with a bonus - two fine young boys from Helen's previous marriage." He eventually adopted those boys. Later, he learned that his next wife tried to have him killed. He became destitute and managed to bounce back.This should have been an amazing book, then; unfortunately, Lucas was not a good writer, and whoever worked with him on this book is not a good writer, either. The text is full of cliches, lingering where we don't want it to and not providing nearly enough information when we want more. Childhood memories are woven throughout, but these don't really tell us much about the author. It's a bit like reading, "This happened and then that happened, then this happened and that happened." The writing was not inviting, never giving the reader a chance to pause and try to imagine what it must have been like to be Jack Lucas. Readers experience no smells, no sounds, no color to this life that must have been filled with all of them.I'm giving the book three stars because I admire Lucas, but I'm disappointed that this could have been a brilliant book but was only a mediocre one.

[sheila1957 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting story of how a 14-year-old did all the wrong things to get himself into battle against Japan culminating in the battle of Iwo Jima where he fell on two grenades saving three friends from death. He is badly wounded and evacuated. He is awarded the Medal of Honor and tells of his life after battle.This is a simply told tale. He does not leave out much that he did and he was flawed but proud of being a Marine. He also never left the Marines behind. They were more his family than his family. He also is proud of his Medal of Honor and tells of get togethers with other medal winners. He led a colorful life until he died.

[charlesboyd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is quite readable and interesting, but as noted in other reviews his heroism at Iwo Jima happened almost right away, i.e. the second day of the assualt.The book paints a portrait of a complicated personality. His "iron will" would have made him successful at any endeaver he chose as he did later in life. And he was generous to many people, but he also was a "womanizer" even when he was married and he was flawed in many other ways including relying on his medal of honor to get what he wanted. This book is a rerelease of the original and it is commendable because it gives a full portrail of the man.In addition, it really shows the Marine Corps brotherhood.