She was named for Private First Class Leonard F. Mason USMC (1920–1944), who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Battle of Guam.

On 16 May 1951 she joined Task Force 85 (TF 85) at the siege of Wonsan to fire in the continuous shore bombardment which inflicted heavy damage on enemy bridges, tunnels, and troop concentrations.

Arriving in Korean waters on 9 June, Mason joined Task Group 70.1 (TG 70.1) for escort and bombardment action with the battleship New Jersey (BB-62) off Wonsan and in the Yellow Sea.

After the close of the Korean War, she departed Yokosuka on 20 November for Long Beach, arrived on 8 December, and readied herself for peacetime duty.

For the next two years, she operated with various task groups of the 7th Fleet, conducting gunfire support missions off the coast of Vietnam, patrolling in the Taiwan Straits, and serving in the Gemini Recovery Force.

Long experience and training paid off on 17 March 1966 when Gemini VIII splashed down early, southeast of Okinawa, instead of the intended Caribbean landing site.

On 19 September she departed for WestPac, where she conducted plane guard duty on "Yankee Station" and naval gunfire support, until sailing for home, arriving Long Beach on 12 March.

In December 1972, Leonard F. Mason participated in "Operation Linebacker II", together with several other Navy destroyers shelled various targets along the coast of North Vietnam.