Avenue of Heroes: Lester Arthur Van Rooy Jr.

Prepared by: Cynthia Van Rooy (wife)

CDR Lester Arthur “Art” Van Rooy Jr. was a Navy man from his very first breath. He was born in 1942 at Bremerton Naval Hospital in Washington to Navy Warrant Officer “Van” and Irene Van Rooy.

As the son of a naval officer, Art grew up in various Navy towns, ultimately graduating from Oak Harbor High School in Washington. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington in 1965. While in college, he enlisted in the Naval Reserve and was later commissioned as an ensign after completing Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island.

Art began his active-duty service as a surface warfare officer aboard the USS Lenawee (APA-195) and later served with the Naval Support Activity Saigon during the Vietnam War. One of his most vivid memories from that time was manning a machine gun on the roof of his bachelor officers’ quarters during the Tet Offensive.

Following his Vietnam service, Art transferred to the Navy Supply Corps where he served as the supply officer aboard three ships, including the USS Canopus (AS-34), which supported forward-deployed fleet ballistic missile submarines out of Holy Loch, Scotland. He was also the commissioning supply officer and comptroller for the Naval Ordnance Engineering Facility in Keyport, Washington.

After earning a Master of Science degree in material management from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1975, Art specialized as a petroleum logistics officer and inventory control officer. He held assignments at multiple Naval Supply Depots and Centers, including in Yokosuka, Japan; Pearl Harbor; and various locations in Virginia. His last active-duty post was as commander of Defense Fuel Region Pacific, headquartered at Camp H.M. Smith in Hawaii. He retired from the Navy in 1988.

Following his military career, Art worked as a Navy and Department of Defense contractor supporting aviation petroleum logistics for Commander, Naval Air Forces. During those years, Art inspected Naval aviation fuel facilities around the world. His final professional project before his second retirement in 2014 was serving as the operational coordinator for the $195 million Defense Logistics Agency military construction project that rebuilt the one-million-barrel Point Loma Navy Fuel Terminal.

Art remains active in the community and has served two terms on the City of Coronado’s Civil Service Commission and one term on the Traffic Commission.

The Avenue of Heroes military service recognition program is sponsored by the City of Coronado. Introduced in 2014, the program has honored 293 hometown heroes to date. On May 17, 2025, another 16 were honored. City staff and dedicated volunteers from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422, the Coronado Historical Association and the Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association oversee its operation.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Avenue of Heroes program – ten years of telling the stories of courage, sacrifice, and service that are woven into the fabric of Coronado.

The inspiration for the program emerged in 2011, when the community spontaneously came together to honor the passage of two fallen Navy SEALs to their final resting place. As news spread, members of the local Rotary Club handed out American flags, and residents lined Fourth Street in solemn tribute. As the procession neared the Coronado Bridge, a lone Navy SEAL stood at attention, saluting his fallen comrades. In that moment, it became clear: Third and Fourth streets were already an Avenue of Heroes.

That spontaneous beginning launched the program in May 2015 with 18 banners. Since then, the Avenue of Heroes has served as a powerful reminder of Coronado’s deep military roots and legacy of service.