To Sacrifice

WHILE WAITING aboard ship to go into combat on September 14, 1950, a young officer wrote his parents, “If you catch yourself starting to worry, just remember that no one forced me to accept my commission in the Marine Corps.” As a Naval Academy graduate, Lt. Baldomero Lopez sought the opportunity to lead men into combat. The day after he wrote this letter, he did what he aspired to do by leading the second wave against the North Korean defenses at Inchon. He was the central figure in the iconic photograph of the Korean War, depicting a group of Marines scaling the seawall of the inner harbor.

Soon after going ashore, Lt. Lopez was wounded while trying to throw a grenade toward an enemy machine gun emplacement. Because of his wounds, the live grenade fell from his hand, and he was unable to pick it up. His selfless action to protect the men around him was later described in the Medal of Honor citation awarded to him posthumously:

Unable to grasp the hand grenade firmly enough to hurl it, he chose to sacrifice himself rather than endanger the lives of his men and, with a sweeping motion of his wounded arm, cradled the grenade under him and absorbed the full impact of the explosion. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Lopez is remembered by his family and friends as a happy and vibrant young man, filled with patriotism and highly motivated to serve his country. Among his high school classmates, he was voted the brightest. In his tragic death, he took his place among America’s greatest heroes, selflessly sacrificing his life in a worthy cause to save others.