Baldomero Lopez Baldomero Lopez ( August 23 , 1925 – September 15 , 1950 ) was a first lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War . He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for smothering a hand grenade with his own body during the Inchon Landing on September 15 , 1950 . Biography . Lopez was born on August 23 , 1925 , in Tampa , Florida , and grew up in the neighborhood of Ybor City . His father , also named Baldomero Lopez , had immigrated to the United States from the Asturias region of Spain as a young man . The younger Lopez attended Hillsborough High School ( Florida ) | Hillsborough High School , where he was an accomplished basketball player and a regimental commander in the school ' s Junior Reserve Officers ' Training Corps program . He enlisted in the United States Navy on July 8 , 1943 , shortly after graduating from high school , and served until June 11 of the next year . He was selected to attend the U . S . Naval Academy in the midst of World War II , and because of the ongoing war he and his classmates were placed in an accelerated three - year program . Upon graduating on June 6 , 1947 , he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps . He attended The Basic School at Quantico , Virginia , after which he became a platoon commander in the Platoon Leaders Class Training Regiment . In 1948 , Lopez went to China , where he served as a mortar section commander and later as a rifle platoon commander at Tsingtao and Shanghai . On his return from China he was assigned to Camp Pendleton , California . He was serving there when , shortly after the outbreak of the Korean war , he volunteered for duty as an infantry officer in Korea . He was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant on June 16 , 1950 . Korean War - Medal of Honor action . In Korea , Lopez served as Platoon Commander of A Company , 1st Battalion , 5th Marines , 1st Marine Division ( Reinforced ) . On September 15 , 1950 , he took part in the amphibious invasion of Incheon . After landing on the beach , he was captured in an iconic photograph leading his men over a seawall . Moments later , while preparing to throw a hand grenade into a North Korean bunker , he was struck by automatic weapon fire in the chest and right shoulder , causing him to drop the activated device . Although wounded , he crawled toward the grenade and , unable to throw it because of his injuries , pulled it under his body to shield others from the blast . He was killed in the resulting explosion and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor . Secretary of the Navy Dan A . Kimball presented the medal to Lopez ' s parents during a ceremony in Washington , D . C . , on August 30 , 1951 . News of his death spread quickly among fellow Marines on the battlefronts . A Scripps - Howard war correspondent , Jerry Thorp , said in a news story on Lopez ' s deed that he " died with the courage that makes men great . " Lopez was buried at the Centro Asturiano Memorial Park Cemetery in Tampa . Decorations . In addition to the Medal of Honor , Lopez ' s decorations include the Purple Heart , Presidential Unit Citation with one bronze star , World War II Victory Medal , China Service Medal , National Defense Service Medal , Korean Service Medal with two bronze stars and the United Nations Service Medal . Medal of Honor citation . Lopez ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a Marine platoon commander of Company A , in action against enemy aggressor forces . With his platoon 1st Lt . Lopez was engaged in the reduction of immediate enemy beach defenses after landing with the assault waves . Exposing himself to hostile fire , he moved forward alongside a bunker and prepared to throw a hand grenade into the next pillbox whose fire was pinning down that sector of the beach . Taken under fire by an enemy automatic weapon and hit in the right shoulder and chest as he lifted his arm to throw , he fell backward and dropped the deadly missile . After a moment , he turned and dragged his body forward in an effort to retrieve the grenade and throw it . In critical condition from pain and loss of blood , and 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 right arm , cradled the grenade under him and absorbed the full impact of the explosion . His exceptional courage , fortitude , and devotion to duty reflect the highest credit upon 1st Lt . Lopez and the U . S . Naval Service . He gallantly gave his life for his country . Legacy and honors . Several structures have been named in Lopez ' s honor , including a state nursing home and a school in Seffner , Florida . A Korean War memorial at the Ed Radice Sports Complex in Tampa was opened on November 11 , 2007 , and dedicated to Lopez . The memorial features a rock from the beach at Incheon . The U . S . Navy ' s Military Sealift Command named a container ship after him , the . In Bancroft Hall , the U . S . Naval Academy dormitory , a room is dedicated to him ( Room No . 3021 ) , with a display including his photo and a bronze plaque of his Medal of Honor citation . There is also the Baldomero Lopez State Veteran ' nursing home in Land O ' Lakes FL at 6919 Parkway Blvd . Lopez ' s Medal of Honor remains in the possession of his extended family .