JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
For 15 years, the friendly voice of Victor Lopez has greeted and welcomed visitors at the information desk at Brooke Army Medical Center.
The 93-year-old veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam wars volunteers every Tuesday at the hospital’s information desk from 7 a.m. to noon or longer, depending on how busy it gets. As a volunteer, Lopez helps visitors who come to the information desk asking for directions to where they need to go within the BAMC complex or answering any questions they may have.
“I get a lot of satisfaction out of it,” said Lopez of his volunteer service at BAMC. “You meet a lot of interesting people and you feel good about helping people.”
Lopez started his voluntary service at BAMC 26 years ago, helping with patient records in the ophthalmology department at the old BAMC, now the U.S. Army South headquarters. He continued helping in the ophthalmology department, retrieving and sorting outpatient records for physicians for 11 years until he requested to be moved to the information desk, where he felt he could be more helpful.
Since he started volunteering at the hospital, Lopez has logged more than 5,600 hours of voluntary service to BAMC. For his years of dedicated service to the hospital, Lopez was awarded the Presidential Volunteer Service Award during the Joint Base San Antonio Volunteer of the Year Awards ceremony April 21 at the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Military & Family Readiness Center.
The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires people around them to volunteer as well.
Lopez said he was surprised to receive the award and that his motivation for volunteering is to help others, not to gain recognition for himself.
“The fact that they selected me really, really made me feel good,” he said. “It’s really an honor to give back and to receive such an award. I prefer not to be noticed. I volunteer for so long and volunteers do it because they want to help others and the fact I was selected was a great, great honor.”
Lopez, a retired Army sergeant major, served for 29 years. The native of Puerto Rico was drafted into the Army at the age of 21 in 1950. He served in the 65the Infantry Regiment during the Korean War. The regiment consisted of native Puerto Ricans and was nicknamed “The Borinqueneers,” which is the original Taino Indian name for Puerto Rico (Borinquen).
In 2016, members of the 65th Regiment, including Lopez, were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest civilian awards bestowed by Congress, for their actions at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in late December 1950 during the Korean War.
During the battle, the regiment protected the retreating 1st Marine Division from Chinese Communist forces who were trying to capture them. Despite harsh winter conditions, the 65th Regiment held off the enemy, allowing the Marines to safely withdraw to evacuating ships at a port.
He served in Vietnam from 1967-68, as an operations sergeant for the 44th Medical Brigade. Lopez ended his military career as the chief instructor at the U.S. Army Medical Department, Health Services Academy, at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, retiring in 1979.
Lopez, who was a counselor in the Army, said working at the information desk allows him to utilize the counseling and problem-solving skills he learned in the service.
“At the information desk, you get busloads of people that come through the clinic entrance that have appointments all over the hospital,” he said. “A lot of people come in really confused. They’re having problems, you got to be able to listen to whatever they are talking about, be a good listener and try to help. I enjoy that.”
Interactions Lopez has with people at the information desk include veterans of the two wars he served in, Korea and Vietnam.
“They really appreciate the fact that I ask them about their service and on how they’re doing,” Lopez said. “I get to see a guy who was with me in Korea. We usually have a lot to talk about.”
Lopez and his wife, Carmen, who passed away 11 years ago, were married for 56 years. He has three daughters, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Michael Dulevitz, Chief, Office of Volunteer Services at BAMC, said Lopez is a gentle soul who has a calm demeanor, is people-driven and who likes giving back to the military community by volunteering at the information desk.
“No matter when you see him, no matter what he’s doing, Victor’s always smiling,” Dulevitz said. “He’s just that kind of a guy. He’s a ray of sunshine in the hospital.”