Robert John Santoro was born on May 19, 1946. He was the eldest son of Salvatore and Dorothy Santoro, the brother of Stephen, who predeceased him, and of younger brother William, all of Hauppauge, Long Island, New York.

Robert entered the service in the US Army on October 26, 1967, at AFEES station in Butte, Montana, and reported to the US Army at Fort Lewis, Washington. Upon completion of Basic training and as a Medic at Fort Hood, Texas, he received orders for duty in Vietnam. SP4 Santoro arrived in Vietnam on April 15, 1968, where he was assigned to and served with HHC Company, 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division, USARV.

On August 14, during Operation McArthur/Binh Tay in Kontum Province, elements of the 12th Infantry made contact with the enemy near Fire Support Base 29, some 7 kilometers southwest of Ben Het Village. During a fierce battle, 14 soldiers were killed in the action, one of the casualties was SP4 Santoro, who was killed by the multiple fragmentation wounds he sustained from an enemy explosive device.

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