The Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial Association is honoring Maj. Robert L. Barto (Ret.) for his decades of service in the United States armed forces.
The veterans cemetery will dedicate a memorial plaque to the La Jolla resident, who was set to be there with friends and family Saturday as he celebrates his 100th birthday.
Born in New Jersey in 1925, Barto began volunteering as a firefighter and mail carrier at 15, during the height of WWII. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on his 18th birthday, Oct. 29, 1943. Following training in air liaison and aviation radio – including time in Coronado – Barto was deployed with the 5th Marine Division.
In February 1945, he received a commendation for bravery under fire on the island of Iwo Jima, volunteering as a stretcher bearer and general duty man, moving supplies and evacuating the wounded.
Following the Second World War, he was honorably discharged and enlisted in the Army-Air Corps in 1947. He attended airplane and engine mechanic school before starting pilot training in 1949. Throughout the 1950s, he flew cargo planes during the Korean War, met and married his wife Marty and raised four children across various duty stations.
His service culminated with an Air Medal in 1967 for his time as a combat crew member in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.
“Major Barto’s story embodies the spirit of dedication that defines our nation’s finest,” said Neil O’Connell, executive director of the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association. “His commitment spanned two branches, three major conflicts, and every part of the globe, and his legacy will have an enduring home right here at Mt. Soledad. It is a true honor to enshrine the story of this exceptional man on our walls.”
He retired from the Air Force at Kelly Air Force Base in 1970 and moved his family to La Jolla, where he still resides.
The Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial is located at 6905 La Jolla Scenic Dr. South and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
