Behind the Photo: The Medal of Honor Recipient Who Led the Charge at Inchon
Lieutenant López leading his men under fire over the seawall at Inchon several minutes before his death. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
When Gen. Douglas MacArthur ordered 40,000 United Nations’ troops to land on the fortified shores of Inchon and split the communist forces invading South Korea, he knew the outcome of the risky operation hinged on the caliber of men who would lead it. When he chose the 1st Marine Division for the job, 1st Lieutenant Baldomero López became one of those men.
The assault got underway on Sept. 10, 1950. The Marines arrived under fire, suffering hundreds of casualties before they even reached the shore. As 25-year-old López climbed out of his landing craft and over the seawall, a Marine cameraman — whose identity is lost to history — snapped a photograph. The black-and-white photo of a lone Marine scaling the enemy’s defenses with rifle in hand became what is perhaps the most iconic image from the Korean War. And the story behind it is even more harrowing than what most people might imagine.
López attended the United States Naval Academy before accepting a commission in the Marine Corps. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The day before landing at Inchon, López — a first-generation American and graduate of the United States Naval Academy — penned a letter to his father. “Knowing that the profession of arms calls for many hardships and many risks, I feel that you all are now prepared for any eventuality,” he wrote. “If you catch yourself starting to worry, just remember that no one forced me to accept my commission in the Marine Corps.”
In hindsight, the letter would seem almost prophetic. Certainly it shows that the young platoon leader had no illusions about the shitstorm he was preparing to march into.
The following morning, when his landing craft’s bow touched the seawall, López hit the ground running, leading the assault. He scaled a wooden ladder, calling for his men to follow him as he surmounted the only barrier between them and thousands of North Korean troops. The moment López stepped off the ladder and onto the wall is the one captured in the famous photograph. It is the quintessential image of the American warfighter — a portrait of courage, tenacity, and undaunted patriotic loyalty.
Mr. and Mrs. Baldomero J. Lopez and son Joseph visited Under Secretary of the Navy Francis P. Whitehair following ceremonies where they were presented with the Medal of Honor for their son, First Lieutenant Baldomero Lopez, who was killed in action in Korea. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Emerging onto the beachhead, López and his men were met with a wall of lead. They were pinned down between the seawall and an enemy pillbox just meters ahead of their position. López pulled the pin from a grenade and prepared to throw it. But before he could, several rounds struck him in the torso and the grenade fell from his hand.
López’s last act in life would save his comrades and also earn him the Medal of Honor. He crawled to the grenade and pulled it under his body. The explosion killed him instantly.
Read Next: Behind the Photo: The ‘Heroic Beauty’ on Omaha Beach
Emerging onto the beachhead, López and his men were met with a wall of lead. They were pinned down between the seawall and an enemy pillbox just meters ahead of their position. López pulled the pin from a grenade and prepared to throw it. But before he could, several rounds struck him in the torso and the grenade fell from his hand.
López’s last act in life would save his comrades and also earn him the Medal of Honor. He crawled to the grenade and pulled it under his body. The explosion killed him instantly.
Read Next: Behind the Photo: The ‘Heroic Beauty’ on Omaha Beach
Mac Caltrider is a senior staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine. He served in the US Marine Corps and is a former police officer. Caltrider earned his bachelor’s degree in history and now reads anything he can get his hands on. He is also the creator of Pipes & Pages, a site intended to increase readership among enlisted troops. Caltrider spends most of his time reading, writing, and waging a one-man war against premature hair loss.
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