Robert Francis Tovado was born January 31, 1925 in Louisville, Boulder, Colorado to Frank Anthony Tovado (1895-1959) and Helen Anna (Paprock) Tovado (1900-1975). Frank and Helen had three children.
Robert attended St. Louis Grade School in Louisville and Louisville High School. He was a catcher on the Louisville American Legion baseball team, helping the team advance to the district playoffs.
In 1943, while a senior in high school, Robert registered for the draft. He was described as 6’1, 201 with light complexion, brown hair and hazel eyes. He entered the US Navy/Navy Reserve August 4, 1943 at Denver, Colorado.
Robert was a Pharmacist’s Mate Third Class with the Navy Hospital/Medical Corps and served with the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 6th Marine Division.
On April 2, 1945, during the Okinawa assault & occupation, while defying enemy machine gun fire, Robert gave aid to thirteen Marines. They were pinned down in the bottom of a deep ravine and were exposed to heavy fire from the enemy from the surrounding ridges. Robert splashed through mud, exposed to rifle and machine gun fire to treat the seriously wounded Marines and pull them to safety. As he was attempting to attend to the fourteenth Marine, he was shot and killed. Doctors would later say that all thirteen Marines Robert attended would have died without his treatment.
Robert was awarded the Bronze Star posthumously for his actions that day. He was buried in the 8072 Okinawa 6th Marine Division Cemetery #1 at Ryukyu Retto. In 1949 he was repatriated to the US and buried in his final resting place in the Santa Fe National Cemetery, Santa Fe, New Mexico on March 22, 1949.
He is remembered at the Colorado Freedom Memorial in Aurora, Colorado and at Peace Memorial Park in Okinawa. Along with the Bronze Star, he was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. Robert was survived by his parents and two brothers.
Thank you, PhM3 Tovado, for your service and sacrifice.
Please note: Robert Francis Tovado's name was inadvertently spelled Tovada on the glass Memorial wall. This has been corrected in the CFM database, website, and in our printed directories, but unfortunately, correcting this on the wall would require replacement of the entire glass panel. When a panel replacement is needed, this will be corrected.
