\u201cI\u2019m a little apprehensive,\u201d he admitted about being put on display for the country to see. \u201cI\u2019m not young anymore, I\u2019m trying to reduce stress in my life.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019ve been exhibit A before, and I flew with a heck of a bunch of nice guys and I want to honor them.\u201d<\/p>\n
A call to duty<\/p>\n
Hartline was a senior at Mount Penn High School in December 1941 when Japan launched its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, forcing the U.S. into World War II.<\/p>\n
When he graduated that spring, he knew exactly what he needed to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I thought was I was going to be in the service one way or another,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
His father had served in the Navy during World War I, and Hartline had long been interested in aviation \u2014 building model airplanes as a hobby.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I thought I would apply to be a Navy aviation cadet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hartline headed to the recruitment office in Reading, where he promptly failed his eye exam. Undeterred, he hopped on a train and headed to another recruitment office in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
This time, he passed.<\/p>\n
![\"Bob](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/REG-L-BobHartline-02.jpg\")
Bob Hartline during his time as a U.S. Marine pilot during World War II. (Courtesy of Bob Hartline)<\/p>\n
Hartline was sworn into the Navy on Nov. 17, 1942, and called into service the following March.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently they didn\u2019t need us right away,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n
Hartline again boarded a bus, this time with a group of fellow recruits. They traveled to Maryland, where they began their training.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was about time,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure we all had the same attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hartline, who previously had only been in a plane when he paid for a ride at Reading Airport, went through civil pilot training. He went to preflight school in Chapel Hill, N.C., primary training in Kansas, and instrument and advanced training in Texas.<\/p>\n
After a total of about 17 months, Hartline graduated. He became the second-youngest naval aviator ever, missing out on the title of youngest to former President George H.W. Bush by just two days.<\/p>\n
Flying high and fast<\/p>\n
Hartline served for four years as a pilot, first for the Navy and later as a Marine.<\/p>\n
Although he remained stateside during the war, Hartline used his aerial skills flying Hellcats, Wildcats, TBM Avengers and, his favorite plane, the mighty Corsair.<\/p>\n
Many of the planes were brand-new models, with Hartline one of the first pilots to put them in the air.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know you\u2019re going to be able to fly the plane because all airplanes fly about the same,\u201d he said. \u201cSo you just give it the throttle, go down the runway and you\u2019re off. It\u2019s that simple.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1945, Hartline joined the Marine\u2019s VRF-1 Ferry Squadron, which transported planes to the West Coast so they could be deployed to the Pacific theater.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were two factories on the East Coast producing airplanes for the Navy,\u201d he said. \u201cThey built 46,000 airplanes for the Navy alone. And all those planes on the East Coast had to be taken to the West Coast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over five months, Hartline ferried 18 brand-new planes and three used ones across the country.<\/p>\n
After the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, effectively ending the war, Hartline was sent to Japan.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody found out I was having a good time ferrying planes so they sent me to Okinawa,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hartline spent about six months there, during which time he flew over both A-bomb sites.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, the damage was devastating,\u201d he said. \u201cAll you could see were the streets, there was nothing else. Everything was destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Bob](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/REG-L-BobHartline-01-rotated-1.jpg\")
Bob Hartline in an undated photo showing off an image of himself when he served as a U.S. Marine pilot during World War II. (Courtesy of Bob Hartline)<\/p>\n
Hartline said he is proud of his time in the service, even if it didn\u2019t go exactly as he planned.<\/p>\n
\u201cInitially I wanted to join the service, be a hero, come back and marry a beautiful girl,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While he didn\u2019t get a chance to make his mark in the skies over Europe of the Pacific Ocean, the rest of his plan did come together pretty well.<\/p>\n
After being discharged in May 1946 as a Marine captain and returning to Berks County, he did meet a girl. They married and raised two sons.<\/p>\n
And Hartline kept his eyes on the skies. He continued to fly until into his 80s.<\/p>\n
When it\u2019s on<\/p>\n