An American Hero

Who knows the story of Jack Lucas? He died today, but how many people know his story. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Jack Lucas at age 13 forged his mother's signature and enlisted in the United States Marine. He stowed away on a ship to hide his age from officials. He eventually ended up on the shores of Iwo Jima. While in combat on Iwo Jima, two hand grenades landed near him. Without thinking Jack Lucas threw himself on the hand grenades, with out any thought for his own safety, in order to protect his platoon mates. He absorbed the force of the blast with his own body, and after some twenty plus surgeries, some two hundred fifty plus pieces of shrapnel removed form his body. Jack Lucas became the youngest man in history to win the Congressional Medal of Honor, at the age of 19. After his service to our country he kept his promise to his mother and finished the 9th grade. Leukemia finally claimed this awesome heroes life. In a day when we seem to idolize rock stars, and rappers who sing about tearing down our society, we read stories about drugs, sex and rock and roll. We idolize athletes who can't keep themselves off drugs and charge kids for autographs. This awesome hero that any American should look up to because in a time of need he chose to put on the uniform of his country, and in a time of extreme danger he never had to think twice before he offered himself up a potential supreme sacrifice to protect his buddies. He did it because he knew it was the right thing to do, and he never looked back. Where do we find such men, I take my hat off to him and mourn his passing even though I never knew him.

We need more men like Jack Lucas, especially in a time when a man can sue a town because he is offended by a display of American Flags flying in town, because it violates his constitutional rights, and there are people in this country who applaud the man bringing suit as a true American Hero. I ask you who is the biggest hero Jack Lucas or the guy who hates what the flag stands for?