How Bob "Bottom Gun" McCollum Spent 13 Years Caring for Mt. Soledad's Walls

For 13 years, almost every morning began the same way for Bob "Bottom Gun" McCollum: a walk along the honor walls at Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial, a soft cloth in hand, polishing black granite until it caught the morning light. Rain or shine, Bob showed up. On Friday, July 17th, our community showed up for him — celebrating his 90th birthday and thanking him for a legacy of quiet, dedicated service that shaped what our memorial looks and feels like today.

Bob enlisted in the Navy Reserves at 17 and went on to spend 14 years in the submarine force during the Cold War and Vietnam War, completing 15 strategic deterrent patrols — the kind of service defined by discipline, patience, and long stretches of unseen work beneath the surface. After leaving the Navy, he carried that same sense of duty into a 24-year career with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' National Cemetery Administration, eventually retiring as regional director overseeing 25 national cemeteries across 10 states.

Retirement, for Bob, didn't mean stepping back. At 77, he found his way to Mt. Soledad and took on a role no one asked him to fill: caretaker of the memorial's 18 honor walls and nearly 7,000 black granite plaques. For the next 13 years, he was there almost daily, making sure every wall stayed spotless and every visitor who stopped to ask a question left with a story.

"Bob was passionate about ensuring the appearance of memorial grounds and black granite walls are always spotless, clean and polished at all times," said Neil O'Connell, Executive Director of the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association. "Regardless of the weather, he would show up to perform his duties."

That consistency didn't go unnoticed. Bob was named Mt. Soledad Veteran of the Year twice, in 2020 and 2024, and in 2021 received a Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing more than 4,000 hours of volunteer service — hours spent not just polishing stone, but connecting visitors to the people behind each name.

That generosity was returned in kind. San Diego city officials, military leaders, fellow volunteers, and the broader Mt. Soledad community gathered at the memorial on July 17th to mark Bob's 90th birthday and celebrate his recent retirement from the caretaker role he made his own. It was a fitting tribute for a man who spent over a decade making sure this sacred ground stayed worthy of the stories it holds. Bob's service didn't end with the Navy, and it didn't end with the VA. For 13 years, it continued one polished plaque at a time. Thank you, Bob, for everything you've given this memorial and this community.

Interested in volunteering at Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial? Visit https://www.soledadmemorial.org/volunteer to learn more about our volunteer program.