John Farritor News Today

John Farritor of Vista fought at Iwo Jima, Bougainville and the Chosin Reservoir, among other major battles

On Sept. 25, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Camp Pendleton as part of a 12,000-mile military inspection trip and dedicated the new base, which was to be the Marine Corps’ largest West Coast training facility. Retired 1st Sgt. John Farritor, 98, remembers that day and the day a few weeks earlier when he first marched onto the base north of Oceanside. Farritor, of Vista, is among area Marines who are celebrating the base’s 75th anniversary with tours and get-togethers, but he i...