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Jack Lucas' Medal of Honor hangs in a display case at High Point University, symbolizing more than one man's bravery.

It represents a promise kept, a sacrifice made and a thank you to Lucas' alma mater.

His widow, Ruby, presented the medal to the university Oct. 4.

"Usually they end up in a museum or with private families," said Paul Lessard, president of the High Point Community Foundation and a High Point University graduate. "I was afraid it was going to wind up in a sock drawer."

Among the Greatest Generation, Jacklyn H. Lucas ranked as one of the greats.

He received the nation's highest award for valor at 17, the youngest Marine ever to be so honored. He met every president since Harry Truman, who hung the medal around his neck. He served as a pall bearer for the unknown soldiers from World War II and Korea. He received a standing ovation from Congress, the Supreme Court justices and the nation's military leaders. He served and loved his country in a way that still inspires Marines.

"I never met anyone like Jack Lucas," said Marine Gunnery Sgt. Will Price. "He's the epitome of the values of the Corps."

Lucas, who threw himself on two grenades at Iwo Jima, lived up to the title of his autobiography, "Indestructible."

On and off the battlefield - in the face of post traumatic stress disorder, depression, nightmares, attempts on his life, failed marriages, financial upheaval - he earned that description.

"Life ... can be a roller coaster ride," Lucas said in an interview with Marine Corps League, a military magazine. "I've lived the life of probably two or three men in many ways."

The Plymouth, N.C., native described himself as "a mean kid ... whose sole purpose was to kill Japanese."

At 14, Lucas forged his mother's signature on enlistment papers, lied about his age and joined the Marines. He promised to finish school when the war ended.

The chance to fight didn't come quickly or easily.

Originally assigned to train recruits, Lucas went AWOL, hopping aboard a troop train bound for California. From there, his unit got shipped to Hawaii.

When the Marines discovered his real age, they let him stay but ruled out combat. So Lucas went AWOL again.

On Jan. 9, 1945, he stowed away on a troop ship bound for action in the Pacific. For 29 days, he hid in a lifeboat and slept on deck. To avoid being declared a deserter, Lucas finally turned himself in.

Unaware of Lucas' age and impressed by his determination, his commanding officer said he wished he had more men with such fighting spirit. When another Marine got sick, Lucas got his gear and gun.

On Feb. 19, 1945, five days after turning 17, Lucas went ashore at Iwo Jima.

"Shells were flying; people were being blown apart; bullets were everywhere," Lucas told Marine Corps League. "It was just where I wanted to be."

Lucas spent less than 24 hours in combat. On his second day ashore, he and three other Marines encountered a force of 11 Japanese soldiers.

The two groups exchanged fire from parallel trenches. Lucas had killed two of the enemy soldiers when his M-1 jammed. As he struggled to fix his rifle, he saw two objects at his feet.

"Grenades!" he yelled.

"I had a choice to make and not much time to make it," Lucas wrote in his autobiography. "I could die alone or all four of us could die (together)."

With the butt of his rifle, Lucas jammed one of the grenades into the island's volcanic ash and dove on top of it. He pulled the second grenade beneath him and pushed it into the ash.

He didn't have time to close his eyes.

The blast lifted him above the trench, flipped him on his back, punctured his right lung, blew his right eye out of its socket, mangled his right arm, littered his head and body with more than 250 pieces of shrapnel, and sprayed slivers from his wooden rifle stock into his chest.

"God, please save me," he prayed.

As Lucas struggled to breathe and remain conscious, the three men with him wiped out the enemy position, leaving their savior for dead.

Minutes later, a Marine from another unit saw Lucas wiggle the fingers of his left hand and summoned a corpsman.

Lucas had been fortunate: Only one grenade had detonated. The force of the blast had been absorbed by the ash.

His recovery required 26 operations. On Sept. 18, 1945, Lucas received a medical discharge and returned home to North Carolina.

Less than three weeks later, he got a call from the White House. President Truman wanted to give him the Medal of Honor. At a ceremony on Oct. 5, the president honored Lucas and 13 others.

"I would rather have this medal than be president of the United States," Truman told Lucas. "I replied, 'Sir, I'll swap ya!' "

At 17, Pfc. Jack Lucas had become a national hero. His fame began opening doors.

The military helped him get a job at the Veterans Administration in Winston-Salem, where he was allowed to finish high school in the afternoons.

In 1956, he received a business degree from what was then High Point College.

By that time, Lucas had started on his first marriage. Three more would follow.

In 1977, Lucas' second wife hired an undercover Maryland state trooper to kill him. She wanted her husband's money. Lucas had become a millionaire in the beef business in the Washington area.

The betrayal hit Lucas like a second grenade.

"He lost his lust for life," said D.K. Drum, who co-wrote Lucas' autobiography. "He was so defeated."

Lucas sold his business at a loss, moved off his rented ranch and bought a double-wide trailer.

Not long afterward, someone set the trailer on fire with Lucas and one of his children inside. Both escaped unharmed.

Two days later, Lucas dug through the ashes and found his Medal of Honor.

Mentally and physically exhausted by his ordeal, he entered the hospital. Doctors discovered that he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. He was ultimately placed on full disability.

Without a place to live, Lucas moved into his garage.

When CBS News learned of his predicament, the network did a piece on the down-and-out hero. A veteran in Hattiesburg, Miss. - a man Lucas didn't know - saw the program and invited him to visit.

Lucas liked the place and bought a home there. Two more marriages followed.

Throughout the years, Lucas continued to speak to youth groups, veterans organizations and Marine units. He returned to Iwo Jima three times.

As a Medal of Honor winner, Lucas also got invited to special events.

The highlight came in 1995, when President Bill Clinton asked him to attend the State of the Union address. At the end of his speech, the president recognized Lucas and recounted his sacrifice. Everyone stood and applauded.

"It was everything I could do to keep from crying," Lucas said. "I was completely swept away."

After Lucas' biography came out in 2006, more people around High Point University became aware of his accomplishments. Several thought the school should honor him in some way.

They felt displaying his Medal of Honor would be a fitting tribute. Lucas agreed. University alumni then contacted Gen. James F. Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, who agreed to have a medal made for the university to display.

But Lucas didn't live to enjoy the ceremony. In June, he died of cancer at age 80.

In addition to displaying his medal and other memorabilia in Smith Library, the university also established a scholarship in Lucas' memory.

"To me, he's the definition of a hero," said Barry Kitley, a member of the university's alumni board. "It's huge that our alumni and our students know who Jack Lucas is going forward."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027 or don.patterson @news-record.com