Avenue of Heroes: Robert W. Bulmer

Prepared by: Sheryll L. Elston (daughter) & Gary Bulmer (son)

Captain Robert W. Bulmer was born and raised in Sterling, Illinois. He spent a year in NROTC at Penn State University before entering the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating with the Class of 1949.

Bob first served on the light cruiser USS Juneau as gunnery officer during the Korean War. He married Joanne “Jan” Talbert, a Coronado girl, in December 1950 before entering Submarine School in 1951. His first assignment was aboard the USS Spinax, homeported in San Diego. Bob and Jan resided in Coronado, where they welcomed their first child.

Bob served on the USS Trutta before being assigned to the USS Triton. He served as the navigator aboard the Triton during its first- ever submerged circumnavigation of the world, earning the ship a Presidential Unit Citation. Following their return, Bob represented the command on the TV show “To Tell the Truth,” where he successfully fooled the judges into voting for the other two participants.

He completed nuclear power training and served as executive officer on the commissioning crew of the USS Dace. He later commanded the USS Barb which was RADM Eugene B. “Lucky” Fluckey’s COMSUBPAC flagship.

CAPT Bulmer assumed command of the USS Thomas Jefferson Gold Crew for one deployment and the Blue Crew through the ship’s overhaul. He served on the Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board for Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet, then as commander of Submarine Squadron 62. His final command was on the USS Fulton, which he took to establish a Submarine Base in Sardinia, Italy. Bob’s final assignment was executive assistant and senior aide to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Submarines. Although Bob retired in 1974, his final deployment was when his ashes were shot out of a torpedo tube under the ice near the North Pole, courtesy of the U.S. Navy.

The Bulmer and Talbert families have a strong history of military service. Bob’s father was a fighter pilot in World War I, Jan’s father and brother are being honored today, as are their daughter and granddaughter. Their son, Gary Bulmer, served in the NOAA Commissioned Corps, retiring as a Captain, and their grandson, Christopher Elston served in the Navy. A proud tradition.

The Avenue of Heroes military service recognition program is sponsored by the City of Coronado. Introduced in 2014, the program has honored 261 hometown heroes to date. On May 18, 2024, another 16 were honored. City staff and volunteers from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422, the Coronado Historical Association and Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association oversee its operation.

In 2011, the program was inspired spontaneously with the movement of two Navy SEALs to their final resting place. News spread quickly and the local Rotary Club passed out American flags. People lined Fourth Street to honor the fallen service members. As the procession approached the Coronado Bridge, a lone Navy SEAL stood at attention, saluting as he waited for the passage of his comrades. That moment made clear that Third and Fourth streets were already an Avenue of Heroes.

That spontaneous beginning launched the program in May 2015 with 18 banners. The Avenue of Heroes is a reminder that Coronado has a rich history and legacy of service to the country.