On Thursday, South Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced that it had selected U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Baldomero Lopez, who sacrificed his life to save his comrades during the Incheon Landing Operation on September 15, 1950, as the Korean War Hero of November 2024.
According to the ministry, Lopez was born in Tampa, Florida, on August 23, 1925. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy on June 6, 1947, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He was promoted to first lieutenant in June 1950 and volunteered to be deployed after the outbreak of the Korean War.
Upon arriving in Korea, Lieutenant Lopez served as a platoon leader with Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and took part in the Incheon Landing Operation on September 15, 1950.
While leading his platoon ashore, Lopez climbed a ladder to cross the coastal barrier and threw a grenade toward a North Korean bunker. During this action, he was struck by machine-gun fire in his right shoulder and chest, causing him to drop the grenade.
Despite his injuries, Lopez attempted to crawl to retrieve the grenade and throw it again. However, realizing he couldn’t throw it far enough due to his wounds, he made the ultimate sacrifice. Instead of endangering his men’s lives, Lopez chose to give his own. He pulled the grenade close to his body and was killed in the explosion.
The U.S. government posthumously awarded Lopez the Medal of Honor on August 30, 1951. On April 25, 2023, the South Korean government also awarded him the Taegeuk Order of Military Merit, South Korea’s highest military decoration.
