Brigadier General Felix J. Bertino

Ret. Arizona National Guard Brig. Gen. Felix J. Bertino 93, died peacefully on Friday, February 1, 2013 at his home.  Born Oct. 11, 1919 in Phoenix, to Ellen A. and Felix D. Bertino, Felix J. Bertino descends from Northern Italy. Military service was a family tradition as his father, Felix D. Bertino, was an elite soldier in the Kingdom of     Savoy’s Royal   Arma dei Carabinieri.

Serving in the Canal Zone during WWII, Gen. Bertino was a ‘Bushmaster’ in the 158

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Inf. and a 14

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Inf. Jungle Platoon Leader.’  Rugged and fearless masters in the art of jungle warfare, they assisted in designing and inventing special equipment and operational techniques employed in jungle operations.  As Platoon Leader and later as Capt. in the Panama Mobile Forces, he performed reconnaissance and rescue missions in Panama, Peru, and Ecuador, deep in the Amazonian jungle. At war’s end, he was awarded the Legion of Merit.

In 1957, he received a National Guard citation for outstanding performance as Officer of Operations and Training. A member of Arizona’s Emergency Medical Services Committee for 5 years, Gov. Williams cited him for outstanding performance and achievement.

He was Chief of Staff for Major Generals: Joseph Ahee, John C. Wilson, Jackson Bogle, and Brig. Gen. Charles W. Fernald.  In 1974, Gov. Williams conferred upon him the title and rank of Brigadier General closing his 36-year career.

The Bertino Family were early settlers to Arizona. The Bertino Family Farm, purchased in 1915, once comprised some 100 acres along Chicago Ave., now known as 44

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St., in Maricopa County.

A highly skilled outdoorsman and masterful gardener, he worked the Bertino Farm throughout his military career. At heart, he always considered himself a farmer. A University of Arizona graduate, he held a degree in Plant Pathology. A private man with a very keen intellect, his mastery of detail and recollection was remarkably incisive and never diminished with age.

His wife of 62 years, the late Peggy Thim Bertino, and his 3 sisters; Margaret, Alice and Elsie preceded him in death. He will be deeply missed by his two beloved daughters, Jean Soldat and Nancy Bertino  as well as by his extended family and dear friends.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, February 8, 2013 at 10 a.m. at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, followed by a high honors military interment at St. Francis Cemetery, Phoenix. In lieu of flowers, donations in Felix’s honor may be made to Homes for Our Troops at www.homesforourtroops.org

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