José M. López

López was raised by his mother Cándida López in the town of Santiago Ihuitlán Plumas, Oaxaca, Mexico. As a young boy, he and his mother moved to the city of Orizaba, where he helped his mother sell clothes that she made as a seamstress in the city. However, his mother died of tuberculosis when he was only eight years old. López then relocated to Brownsville, Texas, United States, to live with his uncle's family.

While living in Brownsville, López began working various jobs to bring in income and never returned to school. As a young man, López caught the attention of a boxing promoter, and for seven years he traveled the country fighting a total of 55 fights in the lightweight division with the nickname of Kid Mendoza. In 1934, during a boxing match in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, he met a group of Merchant Marines and signed a contract with them. He was accepted into the union in 1936 and traveled the world for the next five years.

He was en route to California from Hawaii on December 7, 1941, when he learned about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. When he arrived in Los Angeles, the authorities believed he was Japanese, and he was forced to prove otherwise.

López returned to Brownsville and, in 1942, married Emilia Herrera. That same year, he received his draft card and relocated to San Antonio, where he enlisted in the Army. López was first sent to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and then to Camp Roberts, California, where he received his basic training.[http://utopia.utexas.edu/explore/latino/narratives/07Lopez_Jose.html Jose M. Lopez interview] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060919133455/http://utopia.utexas.edu/explore/latino/narratives/07Lopez_Jose.html |date=2006-09-19 }}

File:Moh army mil.jpg

{{center|José M. López}}

{{center|Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, 23d Infantry, 2d Infantry Division}}

{{center|Place and date: Near Krinkelt, Belgium, December 17, 1944}}

{{center|Entered service at: Brownsville, Texas}}

{{center|Born: Santiago Ihuitlán Plumas, Oaxaca}}

{{center|G.O. No.: 47, June 18, 1945}}

{{center|Citation:}}

On his own initiative, he carried his heavy machine gun from Company K's right flank to its left in order to protect that flank, which was in danger of being overrun by advancing enemy infantry supported by tanks. Occupying a shallow hole offering no protection above his waist, he cut down a group of 10 Germans. Ignoring enemy fire from an advancing tank, he held his position and cut down 25 more enemy infantry attempting to turn his flank. Glancing to his right, he saw a large number of infantry swarming in from the front. Although dazed and shaken from the enemy artillery fire that had crashed into the ground only a few yards away, he realized that his position would soon be outflanked. Again, alone, he carried his machine gun to a position to the right rear of the sector; enemy tanks and infantry were forcing a withdrawal. Blown backward by the concussion of enemy fire, he immediately reset his gun and continued his fire. Single-handedly, he held off the German horde until he was satisfied that his company had effected its retirement. Again, he loaded his gun on his back, and in a hail of small arms fire, he ran to a point where a few of his comrades were attempting to set up another defense against the onrushing enemy. He fired from this position until his ammunition was exhausted. Still carrying his gun, he fell back with his small group to Krinkelt. Sgt. López's gallantry and intrepidity, on seemingly suicidal missions in which he killed at least 100 of the enemy were almost solely responsible for allowing Company K to avoid being enveloped, to withdraw successfully and to give other forces coming up in support time to build a line which repelled the enemy drive.

López received an enthusiastic reception when his ship landed in New York City and he was greeted by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. On a visit to Mexico City, he was greeted by the president of Mexico, Manuel Ávila Camacho, and awarded Mexico's highest military commendation, la Condecoración del Mérito Militar.

He later moved his family to San Antonio, where he was hired as a contact representative with the Veterans Administration. Upon the outbreak of the Korean War, López was accidentally ordered to serve for his country and without hesitation was prepared to do so, until President Harry S. Truman, heard of and corrected the matter so that López could remain in the United States.[http://utopia.utexas.edu/explore/latino/narratives/07Lopez_Jose.html Jose M. Lopez interview/continued] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060919133455/http://utopia.utexas.edu/explore/latino/narratives/07Lopez_Jose.html |date=2006-09-19 }}

José Mendoza López died one year after his wife; they were together for 62 years.

The city of Mission, Texas, López' hometown, named a street and a city park — José M. López Park — in his honor.{{Cite web

|url=http://www.missiontexas.us/joselopez.htm

|title=Sergeant José M. López, U.S. Army, 23rd Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division (1912-2005)

|work=Famous People

|publisher=City of Mission, Texas

|accessdate=2006-07-23

|url-status=dead

|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831164315/http://www.missiontexas.us/joselopez.htm

|archivedate=2006-08-31

}}

The North East Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas, named a school in his honor, José M. López Middle School.

Also in San Antonio, a section of Interstate 10 was named in his honor. The designation runs east from Interstate 35 to Loop 1604.

A statue of Sgt. López stands in Brownsville's Veterans Park.

Among José M. López's decorations and medals were the following:

{{Portal|Biography}}

• List of Hispanic Medal of Honor recipients
• Hispanic Americans in World War II

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• {{Cite web

|url=http://www.utopia.utexas.edu/explore/latino/narratives/07Lopez_Jose.html

|title=LaGuardia at the dock: When José M. López returned from Europe, he was a hero, the toast of N.Y. and then Mexico City. That's how it is for a Medal of Honor recipient

|author=Ernie Garrido

|work=Latinos & WWII

|publisher=University of Texas at Austin

|accessdate=2006-07-23

|url-status=dead

|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060919133455/http://utopia.utexas.edu/explore/latino/narratives/07Lopez_Jose.html

|archivedate=2006-09-19

}}

• {{Cite web |accessdate=September 29, 2010 |url=http://www.army.mil/hispanicamericans |title=Hispanic Americans in the U.S. Army}}
• {{Cite web |url=https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/jose-m-lopez |title=JOSE MENDOZA LOPEZ |work=Congressional Medal of Honor Society |date=September 9, 2021 |accessdate=September 9, 2021}}
• {{Cite web |accessdate=May 15, 2024 |url=https://camprobertshistoricalmuseum.com/medal-of-honor-wall/ |title=Jose Mendoza Lopez on the Medal of Honor Wall at Camp Roberts in California}}
• {{Cite news

|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20050517/ai_n14634273

|title=José López, Medal of Honor in WWII (Obituary)

|work=Chicago Sun-Times

|date=May 17, 2005

|accessdate=2006-07-23

}}{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

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Category:1910 births

Category:2005 deaths

Category:United States Army personnel of World War II

Category:World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor

Category:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients

Category:United States Army personnel of the Korean War

Category:United States Army soldiers

Category:Military personnel from San Antonio

Category:People from Mission, Texas

Category:Mexican-born Medal of Honor recipients

Category:Mexican emigrants to the United States

Category:Mexican people of Spanish descent

Category:Burials at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery

Category:People from Orizaba

Category:United States Department of Veterans Affairs officials