Indestructible: The Unforgettable Story of a Marine Hero at the Battle of Iwo Jima [Hardcover]

Jack Lucas (Author), D. K. Drum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

Here is an eloquent, plainspoken combat memoir of a young soldier who belongs in a class with World War II combat hero Audie Murphy. At the height of the Battle of Iwo Jima, Jack Lucas and three other Marines attacked a Japanese pillbox. When two enemy grenades landed in their midst, Private Lucas jumped on both grenades, just as they were exploding. His buddies were saved, but Lucas was torn apart. Miraculously, he survived-but just barely. For this brave action seventeen year- old Jack Lucas from North Carolina became the youngest soldier in the twentieth century, and the youngest Marine in history to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. In Indestructible, we learn of the rocky road that led Jack Lucas to Iwo Jima-from his lying about his age to join the Marines to his going AWOL in order to join the action in the Pacific-and his arduous, frightening recovery following his heroic sacrifice. Today, wherever Jack Lucas speaks crowds gather to honor him and pay tribute to Marine heritage and pride as well as to pay their respects to one of America's greatest generations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Few battles in any war were as terrible as the February–March 1945 battle of Iwo Jima. Nearly 6,000 American marines and 21,000 Japanese soldiers died on the small Pacific island, and more than 17,000 Americans were wounded in the vicious fighting. This evocative memoir recounts the battle from the perspective of Mississippi author Lucas, who was one of 22 marines awarded the Medal of Honor at Iwo Jima. Having finagled his way into the marines at 14, he was an undisciplined, hard-driving 17-year-old PFC when he performed the courageous act that earned him the nation's highest military award for valor. By throwing his body on top of two live grenades hurled at him and his four-man squad, Lucas saved the lives of the three other marines, though he was severely wounded. Though his flashbacks to his childhood and the dispiriting details of his tumultuous personal life following the war make the narrative lag at times, his re-creation of his part in the battle of Iwo Jima is the highlight of the book. (May 29)
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From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Fourteen-year-old Lucas joined the Marines in 1942 by forging his mothers signature on his enlistment papers. At age 15, he stowed away on a troopship destined for Iwo Jima, and a few days after his 17th birthday he threw himself on top of two grenades to save three fellow Marines and become the youngest soldier ever to receive the Medal of Honor. Indestructible is more than a wartime memoir, although the detailed recounting of the Battle of Iwo Jima and Lucass recovery from his wounds are the strongest parts of the book. Reading this straightforward narrative is like sitting down with ones World War II veteran grandfather and hearing his stories. Despite meeting four U.S. presidents and being honored for his heroism, Lucas remains humble. His voice is proud and patriotic, but he also recognizes his own shortcomings and mistakes. Black-and-white photos from the National Archives and his family are included. This very readable volume would be a good complement to a curriculum on the war.–Sondra VanderPloeg, Tracy Memorial Library, New London, NH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306814706
• ISBN-13: 978-0306814709
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #649,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow... I'm in shock!, July 14, 2009

By 

Emily K. Schulkins "Emily schulkins" (Las Vegas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Indestructible: The Unforgettable Story of a Marine Hero at the Battle of Iwo Jima (Hardcover)

I am shocked to read a few of these reviews on Jacks book... Jack was like a grandfather to me and i am so blessed to of had him in my life!! With that said of course I will be biased with the praise for his book!! Jack was truly a larger then life character.. for those of us who had the privilege of knowing Jack personally, we see that his book is true to him. Maybe he did some times across as arrogant, but in my opinion he earned that right! Jack is a true American Hero and I feel that his story should be told to anyone who will hear it. For the person who posed the question as to Jacks involvement in the book, He did. Jack spent a lot of time with Doria (D.K. Drum) either at her home or at his home in Hattiesburg. He was sharp as a whip till the end. Jack always had a twinkle in his eye (which usually meant he was up to something) and that is something that did not fade in his last days.

Jack's story is one to be read by all, He is TRUE American hero.. not the actors and other celebrities out there!!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tough Story about a Tough Guy, February 14, 2007

By 

David Traill (Stuart, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Indestructible: The Unforgettable Story of a Marine Hero at the Battle of Iwo Jima (Hardcover)

Despite what some other reviewers had to say, it should be noted at the outset that Jack Lucas didn't finish high school, and obviously didn't go to Columbia for a writing degree. He simply lied his way into enlisting in the Marine Corps at the age of 14, and ultimately conned his way into frontline units until he finally reached combat at Iwo Jima. Having wanted to be a Marine and fighting since he was 11, his dedicated pursuit of his goal seems impossible to believe, but it did happen, and this is his story.

Having met Jack, he is exactly like what the story sounds like. He is proud, patriotic, and unabashed in his belief that his actions that day were less significant than those who never returned. I found the story of his life after the war to be interesting, especially what his own wife would attempt later.

This is not going to tell the story of the whole war, and isn't a literary work that rivals Shakespeare, but it is one man's story, and well worth the time to read it.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tough Teen, Major Hero, May 14, 2006

By 

Kevin Killian (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Indestructible: The Unforgettable Story of a Marine Hero at the Battle of Iwo Jima (Hardcover)

D K Drum tells the story of a brave boy whom war changed into a man. Jack was a big boy for his age, and after the death of his father he saw fit to join the services even though he had to cheat and lie about his age to get in. He was thirteen, well built, an eighth grader at Edwards Academy the day Japenese planes made mincemeat of Pearl Harbor. He just knew he had to join up, and a despised stepfather, Radford Jones, agreed, it seems just to get him out of his life, signing the papers that said little Jack was fully seventeen. By August 1942 he was in, just as the First Marine landed at Guadalcanal. In his barracks he was waking up to the drill sergeant screaming, "Drop your cot [sic] and grab your socks. Give your heart to Jesus, boys, cause your butt belongs to me." Marine Corps training at Parris Island was no picnic--once a sergeant slammed a helmet down so hard on his scalp that his eyes bled down his nose. "I blocked out the pain," he writes, "and never let it bother me." Then on to Florida where, at fourteen, Jack found himself popular with the girls (adult girls of 18 and 19) due to his skill at swing dancing. Before long, on an intoxicating evening in Florida, crystal clear skies, he was showing a pretty waitress more than his boxers.

His buddies called him "Block of Granite." In Hawaii he tackled a pretty boy Marine who was posing as some sort of public relations export, but dared to call Jack a runt. After Jack demolished the offender, the corps threw Jack into the brig where he tangled with a tough Texan sergeant and had to poung rocks twelve hours a day. "Sergeant Ape," as Jack refers to him today, ordered him to hold his arms in front "Indian style" while he pounded Jack's stomach with his fists, whap, whap, whap. But Jack bided his time and waited until release whereupon he returned to the brig and told the cowardly sergeant he was there to beat his ass.

Five days later he was back in the same brig but Sergeant Ape kept his distance. By this time you're wondering, yeah, Jack's a tough teen but how is he going to make the transition to patriotic war hero? I don't want to spoil any surprises for you but suffice it to say he became the hero of Iwo Jima, second only to the great Audie Murphy in terms of heroism. Our boy became the youngest Marine ever to receive the coveted Congressional Medal of Honor, and by some great stroke of luck he is still with us today, to inspire us all, to overcome our early family problems with a good dose of thinking about others.