“Marines landing at Inchon, 15 September 1950″

First Lieutenant Baldomero Lopez, USMC, leads the 3rd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines over the seawall on the northern side of Red Beach, as the second assault wave lands, 15 September 1950. Wooden scaling ladders are in use to facilitate disembarkation from the LCVP that brought these men to the shore.

A few minutes after this picture was taken, Lt. Lopez was killed. He was struck by enemy fire just as he was about to throw a hand grenade into a North Korean bunker. He dropped the activated grenade and, although wounded, crawled over to it and used his body to smother the blast. Posthumously, Lt. Lopez was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on September 15, 1950.

Medal of Honor Recipients (Korean War)