Cracked has the stories of men who refused to die under circumstances in which most would have succumbed. Whether it was luck, skills, or an inner toughness, we can't say. But just putting oneself into these various circumstances takes bravery far beyond most people. Here's what Jack Lucas did during the war. The big one.
14-year-old Jacklyn "Jack" Lucas was big for his age. But rather than squander his gifts playing football or buying beer for his friends, Lucas instead forged his mother's signature on a recruitment form and went to fight with the Marines in World War II. While trenched in on the shores of Iwo Jima, two grenades threatened to take out Lucas and his squad-mates. Here's what happened next, in Lucas' own words: "I hollered to my pals to get out and did a Superman dive at the grenades. I wasn't a Superman after I got hit. I let out one helluva scream when that thing went off."
Lucas' heroism earned him "more than 250 pieces of shrapnel in his body and every major organ, including six pieces in his brain and two in his heart." He returned home at 17 years old -- not even old enough to technically enlist today -- where he became the youngest Marine to ever be awarded the Medal Of Honor.
But there are more brave exploits that Lucas survived. Read the rest of his story, and those of four other guys, told in R-rated language at Cracked.