First Lieutenant Robert A. Bates grew up on Wisconsin Avenue in Lake Forest, Illinois. He attended Lake Forest Country Day School and Lake Forest Academy before graduating from Transylvania College in Kentucky in 1965. Shortly after, Bates joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served on active duty.

In October 1966, after six months in active service, Lieutenant Bates was deployed to Da Nang, Vietnam, where he was killed in action on October 22. For his bravery, he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star.