Robinson, Jr. James Edward.

Robinson, Jr. James Edward, born 10-07-1919, in Toledo, Ohio, and in 1927 his father moved the family to Waco, Texas. In 1935, when James Jr. was 16 years old, he enlisted in the Texas National Guard, and the day after he was discharged from the National Guard, on 02-06-1939, he enlisted in the United States Army. James was a professional soldier, who by 1942 was a Master Sergeant. His abilities did not go unrecognized by the Army. In 1942 he requested to attend Officer Candidate School (OCS), in the Army Air Force. His request for OCS was approved, however, there was one glaring exception, he was sent to Field Artillery OCS. On 13-5-1943, he was commissioned as Second Lieutenant.

  While James was stationed at Fort Sam Houston in Texas,    he established a relationship with Vina Elizabeth Crawford and married her on 04-01-1942. On 14-12-1942, Vina gave birth to a daughter, Dolores. During the holiday season of 1944, James’ wife and daughter visited Camp Van Doran in Mississippi. Little did they know it would be the last time they would see each other.

As the war raged in Europe, First Lieutenant James Robinson, with the 861st Field Artillery Battalion, 63rd Infantry Division “Blood and Fire” ,  under command of General  Louis Emerson Hibbs

entered the war on 11-07-1944, coming ashore at Marseille, France. Immediately the 861st was thrust into heavy fighting. On 20-2-1945, James was made the foreword observer for Company A, First Battalion, 253rd Regiment. A forward observer with a field artillery unit was one of the most dangerous positions in World War II. On 03-04-1945, James wrote to Vina, “Darling I am not in any danger, don’t worry about me just plan on having a good time when I get home.” This is the last letter James wrote.

General Louis Emerson Hibbs, on 01-02-1938, Hibbs was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In the following year Hibbs found himself returning to the USMA, where he was Graduate Manager of Athletics. While there, he was promoted to colonel on 26-06-1941.

He retained this post until February 1942, two months after the United States had entered World War II, when he was made the commander of the Artillery of the 36th Infantry Division, nickname “Arrowhead”, an Army National Guard formation recruiting from Texas and commanded by Major General Fred Livingood Walker,     who had been one of Hibbs’s instructors at the Army War College. On 11-03-1942, Hibbs was promoted to Brigadier General. He died in Vero Beach, Florida on 28-04-1970, age 82.

Death and burial ground of Robinson, Jr. James Edward.

    On 06-04-1945, Company A was facing the 17th SS Panzer Division “Götz von Berlichingen” , under command of SS-Oberführer Georg Bochmann  , 1800 men strong and heavily dug in on high ground. During the battle, A Company lost their Commanding Officer and James lost his reconnaissance man along with his radio operator. When his radio operator went down, James took the 78 pound SCR 610 radio knowing he would have to call in artillery support. By this time James was the only remaining officer, with no other options he took command of the small group. At 1600 hour the small group, numbering 19, received orders to take the village of Kressbach. James inspired the men, leading the attack himself and killing 10 of the enemy. As he led the advance on the village, a shell fragment hit him in the neck; he was bleeding profusely, but managed to call in an artillery strike on the town. The village was taken and sometime after he was mortally wounded, he made the following radio transmission:

“Evans, I want you to gather up all my belongings and send them home to my wife…I don’t think I will make it.”

James Robinson died 06-04-1945 (aged 26) near Neuenstadt am Kocher, Germany and is buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas.

The events which followed were all testimony to the bravery, personal charisma, fortitude and strength of Lieutenant James Robinson, Jr. Several men, enlisted and officers, witnessed the activity of James on that fateful day, April 6, 1945. On 02-10-1945 James was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces’ highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. The medal is normally awarded by the President of the United States (the commander in chief of the armed forces) and is presented “in the name of the United States Congress.”

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