Lionel Lopez was born in New Orleans [Annotator’s Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] in August 1921. He went to Catholic elementary school. He worked as a stock boy in a shoe store. He has three sisters. In July 1942, he was drafted into the Army at Camp Beauregard [Annotator’s Note: Camp Beauregard, Louisiana], then he went to Camp Roberts, California for basic training. He took a particular class for message center clerks. He went to Elizabethtown, New Jersey to be sent to Europe. They were two days late meeting the Queen Mary. They were sent to Fort Meade, Maryland to replace the 29th Division which had left on the Queen Mary. On Christmas night, they headed out to sea. They went through the Panama Canal [Annotator's Note: Manmade canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in between North and South America] to Panama. They were there for Army jungle warfare and survival school. The training was excellent. Lopez was given a machete to cut through the jungle. He learned how to cut small trees down in one stroke. They ran an obstacle course every morning. They had a PX [Annotator's Note: post exchange] and could go into town with a pass [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. They were taught how to navigate with a map and a compass. For graduation, they had to make a 25-mile hike with the compass.

Lionel Lopez took a small ship out of Panama. They were headed north to San Francisco [Annotator’s Note: San Francisco, California] for an overhaul. The first thing they had to do was to get rid of the food. The men got to eat all the good food. There were 900 men and replacements. They were sent to Australia. Lopez worked in the message center. He used one of the amphibious jeeps to get around. Then they went to New Guinea. They went on patrols in the jungle because there were Japs [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] still scattered around. Lopez saw his first action in New Guinea. Every day they went out on patrols across the river. The primary mission was to capture a Japanese general. He rode a white horse. Wainwright [Annotator's Note: US Army General Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV] knew more about the Philippines than MacArthur did [Annotator's Note: General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area]. They wanted to get information out of the Japanese. They had opened up machine guns on the Japanese and they had artillery cover. They were on a hill and got surrounded. They had some wounded men with them. Lopez had to climb down and see if there was a way out. They made it down and called for air support. Two or three days later, they were sent to Hollandia in New Guinea and replacements took their spots on the line.

Lionel Lopez went to Leyte Island in the Philippines. He stayed on the beach with equipment. On the second day, MacArthur [Annotator's Note: General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area] came in and had the cameramen taking pictures. They started their push across the island. Lopez was the first scout on the left flank. A Jap [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] officer jumped out of the bushes waving a pistol. He started shooting at Lopez. Lopez shot the man. He was surrounded by Jap snipers. He shot one at a time down. They were going up a hill that had a cave. The captain made the decision that they would not go any further that night. The next day when Lopez was heading back, he came across a bloated dead Japanese soldier. He did not want to step on him because he wanted to eat when he got back and did not want the smell on him. As he stepped around the body he heard a blow and felt like he was hit in the stomach. He fell back on his head and back. He was hit in the shoulder. The man coming up behind him helped him back to the aid station. He was sent to the hospital on Leyte. He was in the operating room and got a patch and stitching where the bullet went through. The bullet went through his lung and caused the fluid to fill up in his diaphragm. His arms filled up with air. He was sent back to New Guinea on a hospital ship. After a month, he was sent back to the United States. The doctor did not know how he was alive. Then he went back onto limited duty. He was sent to Livingston, Louisiana to an MP [Annotator’s Note: Military Police] unit. They were in charge of American prisoners, men who had gone AWOL [Annotator's Note: absent without leave] or deserted. Next, he was sent to guard German prisoners. They would take the prisoners out on sugar cane plantations. He watched over the prisoners for about a month and then was discharged.

Lionel Lopez did not lose any POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war]. They got paid for their work on the plantations. Each man made a dollar a day. Every two weeks, the Army would pay them 50 cents of each dollar made during that period and then save the rest for them when they were sent home. When Lopez went home, he got married. He received the Silver Star [Annotator's Note: the Silver Star Medal is the third-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy] for action in the Philippines killing snipers. Captain Lowry [Annotator’s Note: Captain Leonard Lowry, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross] was a man he loved fighting for because he was right there with the men fighting. The Japanese tied vines from one tree to another. They stripped the bark from the vines and they were invisible in the dark. Lopez got a Purple Heart [Annotator's Note: the Purple Heart Medal is an award bestowed upon a United States service member who has been wounded as a result of combat actions against an armed enemy] for his wounds. When he was discharged, they were operating on the points system [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home]. After Japan surrendered, anyone with 85 points would automatically get out of service. They lowered it to 81 points. Lopez thought he was getting out because of his wounds. He earned the Silver Star without knowing about it. The hospital overseas was made from tents. When he went to the next hospital he had a private room.

Lionel Lopez had an M1 [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic rifle, also known as the M1 Garand]. He had a belt full of clips. He took all of his ammunition with him. In Panama, they changed from leather shoes to canvas shoes. They were issued ponchos and hammocks. When he went into the service, they had their pack and that was their shelter. They had mosquito netting that fit around the hammock. The mosquito netting was no good out in the combat zones. They carried machetes with them. They had a K ration [Annotator's Note: individual daily combat food ration consisting of three boxed meals] and a J ration. They would take a mess kit and put powdered eggs, cheese, and powdered meat in it. They had instant coffee. Some even had chocolate in them.

Lionel Lopez was a shoe salesman before the war. He went back to work for the same company after he got out of the service. He took a civil service test and got a good amount of points. He went to work as a clerk for the veterans’ service. He worked there for eight years. Then he went to work for the Air Force, retiring in 1971. He was in charge of shipping aircraft to NATO countries [Annotator’s Note: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization]. He was shipping helicopters during the Vietnam War [Annotator's Note: Vietnam War, or Second Indochina War, 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975]. Lopez did not like working for an insurance company. He then went to work as a clerk for an engineering company. Next he went to work for a cement company in Chalmette [Annotator’s Note: Chalmette, Louisiana]. He then retired in 1984. Things turned out good for him after the war. [Annotator’s Note: Lopez talks about the Marietta Company.] His wife went to work. They had four children.

Lionel Lopez and his wife had four children. [Annotator’s Note: Lopez talks about his children and grandchildren.] Lopez is currently in good health. He enjoys playing golf.