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

by Jack H. Lucas and D.K. Drum

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062795627
• ISBN13: 9780062795625
• Release Date: January 2020
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

How Many of Us Have Jack Lucas' Courage?

According to Indestructible: The Unforgettable Story of a Marine Hero at the Battle of Iwo Jima, Jack Lucas was 13 years old on December 7, 1941, when he decided to go to war against Japan. He wanted to "make the Japanese pay for the attack on Pearl Harbor." The United States was soon at war with Nazi Germany, but since it had not attacked America, it was the Japanese Jack picked to fight. Jack's mother was aware of his resolve to join the Marines but she would not lie and sign admission papers. After he forged her signature, he hugged her goodbye and headed for the recruiting office. Jack would admit there was no real love or respect between him and his stepfather, who assured the recruiting office that Jack was really 17. Jack was accepted as a Marine warrior. At the top of his class in 1943, Jack easily qualified for heavy machine gun operation. But his next assignment disappointed him. Along with nine others, he was to remain in camp to take the place of senior instructors who were shipping out. This wouldn't work for Jack. He had joined the Marines "to kill the enemy myself ... I was hell bent to go to war." Ignoring his orders, he went AWOL and jumped the train for California. There, his missing name was added to the roster after he convinced a sergeant a mistake had been made. Indestructible tells of a cocky bunch of Marines who singled Jack out because of his height, and verbally abused him. When a man dared touch Jack's hat, Jack exploded with a right to the man's jaw that knocked him unconscious. Punching out a fellow Marine was dishonorable in Jack's eyes because Marines became his family. Yet he was "never one to accept abuse." Arriving at Oahu, Hawaii, Jack felt he was finally getting closer to deal with the Japanese, "one body count at a time." He was as feisty as ever. Too much so. He was locked up 17 times for fights while on liberty. He was thrown into the brig for punching out a Marine and messing up his tent quarters. That Marine called him a runt and refused to give him a light. For this incident, Jack was locked up for 45 days where he pounded rocks 12 hours a day, while awaiting court martial. When released, Jack would wait no longer. He became a stowaway on the USS Deuel heading for the Pacific island of Iwo Jima. On the 29th day at sea, he turned himself in. Although he was an administrative nightmare, eventually he was reclassified as fit for action and assigned to an outfit. At last, he felt he was a real part of the Pacific war operation, "ready to explode at the first opportunity to draw blood." Jack was now 17 and Indestructible. Artillery shelling followed by heavy aerial bombardment softened up the tunneled out Mount Suribachi. Jack scrambled from a Higgens boat into deep water and struggled toward bloody Red Beach shore. Lifeless and wounded Marines lay everywhere, along with scattered body parts. Ruined machinery blocked the way. Yet Jack and his outfit struggled forward through the powder-like sand of Iw

Wow... I'm in shock!

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!!

Best Book I have read in a while!

A great book about a great American. Jack Lucas served on Iwo Jima with honor and received the medal of honor for his sacrifices. I would reccomend this book to anyone, it is such a good book that it should be required reading for every American. You must read this book!

A brilliant book by a true hero

The youngest man to ever receive the Congressional Medal of Honor tells his own life story.Jack Lucas is already a muscular, powerful five feet eight inches tall and 180 pounds at 14. Enraged by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,he lies his way into the Marines and ends up stationed in Hawaii.There,his secret is discovered and he is refused permission to enter combat.Reduced to doing menial chores when not in the brig for fighting,Jack gets so fed up that he stows away on his older cousin's ship(with the cousin's help,of course).He proves himself during the fierce Battle of Iwo Jima,where he saves several colleagues by throwing himself on two Japanese grenades in a trench.Although gravely wounded,he survives and is awarded the Medal Of Honor. This is a splendid life story,powerful,beautifully written,and told with unflinching honesty.As expected,much of the language is rough and the book is loaded with battle violence.But that is appropriate for the subject,and it makes the book more realistic.Not since Ron Kovic's "Born On The Fourth Of July" has life in the military been presented so brilliantly.A magnificent book. Also recommended:Born On The Fourth Of July;We Were Soldiers Once,And Young:Ia Drang,The Battle That Changed The War In Vietnam

Thank God We have Men Like Him

On D-Day Plus 1 for the invasion of Iwo Jima Private Lucas threw himself on an enemy grenade and pulled a second and pulled it beneath his body as well. This was his second day in combat, he was seventeen years and five days old. He had lied about his age and enlisted at the age of 14. Surprisingly, he survived, the youngest Marine ever to get the big medal. And a year later, out of the hospital he had to sign up for the draft. The citation for his medal reads quite simply as they all do: 'for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty .' This is his story. And his story after the Marines is no less interesting. And without going into details, all I can really say is to slightly mis-quote a refrain from a Heinlein novel, 'To the everlasting glory of the Marines, shines the name, shines the name, Jack Lucas.