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The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Navy

Baldomero Lopez was more than a local hero

June 6, 2018 By B.C. Manion

When motorists drive past the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home in Land O’ Lakes, chances are they won’t know much about the history of the man for whom the facility is named.

That’s where Bill Dotterer comes in.

This iconic image was taken of 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez leading troops in an invasion at Inchon during the Korean War. Lopez died minutes after the photo was taken.
(Bill Dotterer)

He’s a volunteer with the Tampa Bay History Center and he shared the story of 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez’s life and his heroic actions during a talk earlier this year at the Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library. The history center and library jointly presented the free program.

Lopez may not be widely known in many circles, but he is in the U.S. Marine Corps, Dotterer said.

“Lopez is a very important person in Tampa Bay’s history,” the speaker added, noting Lopez was the first person who grew up in Tampa to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Dotterer shared details of Lopez’s early years.

Lopez grew up during a time when Ybor City and West Tampa were vibrant places, with a thriving cigar industry, with people living there who had come from Spain, Cuba, Italy and Sicily, Dotterer said. There were social clubs, baseball teams and dominoes, he noted, and Lopez grew up in that milieu.

“In the neighborhood where he lived, he was well known as a baseball player. He had a paper route. He was just an All-American kid,” Dotterer said.

Lopez also was interested in the military.

He attended Hillsborough High School, where he was in charge of the ROTC program. He marched in the Gasparilla Parade one year, leading all of the junior ROTC units, Dotterer said.

Baldomero Lopez
Company A, 1st Battalion
5th Marines, 1st Marine Division
Born: Aug, 23, 1925
Died: Sept. 15, 1950

The speaker noted that much of his talk was based on information he gleaned from a conversation he had with E.J. Salcines, a former judge and noted Tampa historian.

Lopez was third in his class when he graduated from Hillsborough High in 1943. He decided to enlist in the Navy, Dotterer said.

Initially, Lopez was sent to Quantico, Virginia, but he was pulled from that program and sent to Annapolis for an officer training program, Dotterer added. Next, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, as a second lieutenant.

By then, it was 1947 and the war had ended.

Lopez was sent to China, to lead a mortar platoon, and after that, he returned to Camp Pendleton, where he received orders to become an instructor at the Basic School in Quantico, Dotterer said.

Lopez was still at Pendleton when the Korean War broke out and his unit was assigned to go overseas, Dotterer said. Lopez wanted to go with them.

Dotterer then shared this account, which he said came from Salcines.

Lopez was a on a train, heading from California to Virginia, Dotterer said.

“Every place that the train stopped, he got off and called and said, ‘Please change my orders. I want to go with my unit.’

“When he finally gets to Quantico, they say, ‘OK, you can rejoin your unit.’,” Dotterer said.

Lopez heads back to California, but at that point, his unit is already gone. Somehow, he catches up with them, across the Pacific, Dotterer continued.

The Korean War began when the North Koreans attacked south of this 38th parallel, which is what divides North Korea and South Korea, Dotterer said.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur was the head commander of allied forces in Korea, and he decided to take back Seoul, Dotterer said.

The invasion is made at Inchon Harbor, near Seoul.

It wasn’t an ideal place to invade because it had the third-highest tides in the world, going from zero to 40 feet in a day. It also had 40-foot seawalls around it, which the Marines had to build ladders to scale, Dotterer said.

“The anchorage, itself, where all of the ships would end up for the invasion, was pretty small. It was pretty tight to get in there,” he added.

At the same time, however, the limiting factors at Inchon also may have made it a good place to invade because the enemy would never expect it, he said.

Lopez demonstrated courage
Lopez, who was 25, was on one of the landing ships.

Before the invasion, he wrote his parents a final letter, not knowing it would be his final letter, Dotterer said.

“Basically, he said, ‘Hey, I chose to do this, so if anything happens, I decided I wanted to be a Marine officer, so here I am. Secondly, please send me some good cigars.’

“On Sept. 15, the invasion begins. He is with Company A, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, and they’re going into Red Beach,” Dotterer said.

This historic marker in downtown Tampa commemorates the heroic actions that 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez took during the Korean War.
(B.C. Manion)

There were two hills, which meant the enemy was at the top of the hill shooting down.

An iconic photograph, taken during the invasion, shows Lopez leading his troops up a wooden ladder over the seawall, Dotterer said.

“Sad to say, this is minutes before he is killed. He’s leading his troops over the seawall. There’s a machine-gun, automatic type position here, that they are trying to take out.

“He had actually pulled a pin on a grenade to throw it into the pill box,” Dotterer said.

Instead, “he gets hit with automatic weapon fire. One in the shoulder. One in the abdomen or chest. He’s shot down. That grenade has the pin out.”

Within seconds, Lopez decided to save his troops. He scooped the grenade under his body.

“He took the full brunt of the grenade in the explosion. His troops were essentially saved. They went on to take that pillbox,” Dotterer said.

Since then, Lopez has been honored in various ways.

There’s a historic marker commemorating Lopez’s heroics in downtown Tampa and there’s a memorial for him at Hillsborough High School. There’s a public elementary school named after him in Seffner and there’s a memorial to Lopez at Veterans Memorial Park.

In 2012, the Tampa Bay History Center received a Korean War Veterans Medal on behalf of Lopez, presented by Jong-Hoon Kim, a member of the 19th National Assembly and Chair of the International Relations Committee, Saenuri Party. Kim was accompanied by Choi Young-Jin, the Korean Ambassador to the United Nations and other Korean Dignitaries.

Additionally, there’s Lopez Hall at the Basic School aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, a dining facility that was dedicated in 2013, and there’s a navy ship named in his honor.

And, the Marine Corps Association and Foundation, (MCA&F), bestows The Lieutenant Baldomero Lopez Honor Graduate Award to the Marine of each graduating company from the Basic School who demonstrates the highest potential for future leadership and responsibility in the Marine Corps.

In essence, Dotterer said, “he was an amazing hero.”

Published June 6, 2018

Filed Under: Land O' Lakes News, Local News Tagged With: 19th National Assembly, All-American, Annapolis, Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home, Basic School, Bill Dotterer, California, Camp Pendleton, Chair of the International Relations Committee, China, Company A, Congressional Medal of Honor, Cuba, E.J. Salcines, Fifth Marines, First Battalion, Gasparilla Parade, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Hillsborough High School, Inchon Harbor, Italy, Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, Jong-Hoon Kim, Korean Ambassador, Korean Dignitaries, Korean War, Korean War Veterans Medal, Lopez Hall at the Basic School, Lt. Baldomero Lopez, Marine Corps Association Foundation, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Navy, Pacific, Quantico, Red Beach, ROTC, Saenuri Party, Seffner, Seoul, Sicily, Spain, Tampa, Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay History Center, The Lieutenant Baldomero Lopez Honor Graduate Award, U.S. Marine Corps, United Nations, Veterans Memorial Park, Virginia, West Tampa, Ybor City

‘He had lots of ideas and wanted to do things’

October 18, 2017 By B.C. Manion

Seventy-three-year-old Ray Mason died suddenly after a medical emergency during a vacation.

From left, Ray Mason, Elaine Stoots, Jim Evans, Lyle Watson and Fred Wilsky, members of American Legion Post 108 gathered earlier this year to talk about the post’s 80th birthday. (File)

Mason’s death was “a terrible shock,” said Lyle Watson, who came to know Mason during their time together as members of the Lutz/Land O’ Lakes American Legion Post 108.

“He bought into the Legion 150 percent,” Watson said.

“He very quickly made a name for himself and made everybody take notice,” Watson added.

Mason served in the Navy, from 1962 to 1968, as a commissary store keeper. More recently, he served as adjutant of Post 108, assisting commanders and then later became a commander himself.

Watson served as Mason’s adjutant.

Bill Garrison, a former post commander, said Mason’s death “was definitely a loss” for Post 108.

Garrison described Mason as “the glue that held Post 108 together.

“He went above and beyond, both as commander and adjutant. He loved veterans,” Garrison said.

Ray Mason, of American Legion Post 108, helps place flags at gravestones of veterans at Lutz Cemetery, to honor their service to the country. (File)

Richard Fernandez, another former commander, said Mason accomplished a great deal during his tenure with Post 108, perhaps more than any other commander in recent years.

“He loved being involved in it,” said Mason’s wife, Mary.

The Land O’ Lakes couple was married for 48 years and had four children. Their sons are Brian and Tim, and their daughters are Terry Aurie and Karen Kulzer.

Before moving to the area in 1984, Mason lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he owned a meat shop. When he moved here, he worked in the meat department at several different Publix stores, serving as an assistant manager, his wife said.

“He was very helpful. He was everybody’s go-to person,” said his daughter, Karen. “He was a great father, a great husband.”

His wife added: “He was a great friend.”

“If someone had a problem, or something they needed, they’d call him,” she said.

If they wanted to borrow something, he was always willing to help — although sometimes it could take a day or two for him to find the requested item.

When Mason joined Post 108 he was determined to get things done, said Watson, noting he’ll miss his friend. “He was a great guy.”

Over the years, Post 108’s membership has waxed and waned.

Mason was always looking for ways to expand its membership.

During an interview about Post 108’s 80th anniversary earlier this year, Mason talked about the increasing losses suffered by the post, as aging members died.

Now, he too, has joined those ranks.

He died during a vacation, after visiting Gettysburg, a place he always wanted to see, his wife said.

Arrangements are pending, but the family plans to hold a ceremony with military honors at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.

Published Oct. 18, 2017

Filed Under: Local News, News Stories Tagged With: Bill Garrison, Bushnell, Cincinnati, Florida National Cemetery, Gettysburg, Karen Kulzer, Land O' Lakes, Lutz/Land O' Lakes American Legion Post 108, Lyle Watson, Navy, Ohio, Post 108, Publix, Ray Mason, Richard Fernandez, Terry Aurie

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01/23/2021 – Adult craft

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01/23/2021 – Hobby Circle

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will offer a Hobby Circle on Jan. 23 at 3 p.m., for anyone who wants to share a hobby or learn about a new one — from a work of art to a new recipe, to a favorite video game. The group will meet via Zoom. For information, email . … [Read More...] about 01/23/2021 – Hobby Circle

01/23/2021 – Star Wars Night

The Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI), 4801 E. Fowler Ave., in Tampa, will host a Star Wars Family Night on Jan. 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., for ages 7 and older. Guests can take part in intergalactic adventures and hands-on activities, such as build-your-own lightsaber and train in the art of dueling. Participants also can control a droid through an obstacle course, learn about traveling to other planets in the Saunders planetarium, and navigate through exhibits. There also will be a game called Beat Saber on the Oculus Rift. Preregistration is required. For information and tickets, visit Mosi.org. … [Read More...] about 01/23/2021 – Star Wars Night

01/25/2021 – Fizzy bath bomb

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