James W. Robinson, Jr.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James William Robinson, Jr. (August 30, 1940 - April 11, 1966) was an American soldier and a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor. Robinson earned the award while serving with the U.S. Army in Vietnam. He was a Sergeant (E-5) in the infantry when he was killed under heroic circumstances on April 11, 1966. Born in 1940 in Hinsdale, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, Robinson graduated from Morton High School in 1958 and enlisted in the U.S. Marines, serving primarily in Okinawa. After his service, Robinson worked in the private sector in northern Virginia, then re-enlisted, this time in the U.S. Army. Assigned to duty in Panama, Robinson relentlessly requested a transfer to Southeast Asia, which was finally granted in 1965.

Robinson is listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on panel 06E, row 103, and is buried at the Clarendon Hills Cemetery in Darien, Illinois. He was the first Virginia resident to receive the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War. Jim Robinson was 25 years old.

Robinson Secondary School in northern Virginia, which opened in 1971, is named in his honor, as well as Robinson Elementary School in Lyons, Illinois.

According to the Medal of Honor Citation, James W. Robinson, Jr. was awarded the medal for:

Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Company C was engaged in fierce combat with a Viet Cong battalion. Despite the heavy fire, SGT Robinson moved among the men of his fire team, instructing and inspiring them, and placing them in advantageous positions. Enemy snipers located in nearby trees were inflicting heavy casualties on forward elements of SGT Robinson's unit. Upon locating the enemy sniper whose fire was taking the heaviest toll, he took a grenade launcher and eliminated the sniper. Seeing a medic hit while administering aid to a wounded sergeant in front of his position and aware that now the 2 wounded men were at the mercy of the enemy, he charged through a withering hail of fire and dragged his comrades to safety, where he rendered first aid and saved their lives. As the battle continued and casualties mounted, SGT Robinson moved about under intense fire to collect from the wounded their weapons and ammunition and redistribute them to able-bodied soldiers. Adding his fire to that of his men, he assisted in eliminating a major enemy threat. Seeing another wounded comrade in front of his position, SGT Robinson again defied the enemy's fire to effect a rescue. In so doing he was himself wounded in the shoulder and leg. Despite his painful wounds, he dragged the soldier to shelter and saved his life by administering first aid. While patching his own wounds, he spotted an enemy machinegun which had inflicted a number of casualties on the American force. His rifle ammunition expended, he seized 2 grenades and, in an act of unsurpassed heroism, charged toward the entrenched enemy weapon. Hit again in the leg, this time with a tracer round which set fire to his clothing, SGT Robinson ripped the burning clothing from his body and staggered indomitably through the enemy fire, now concentrated solely on him, to within grenade range of the enemy machinegun position. Sustaining 2 additional chest wounds, he marshaled his fleeting physical strength and hurled the 2 grenades, thus destroying the enemy gun position, as he fell dead upon the battlefield. His magnificent display of leadership and bravery saved several lives and inspired his soldiers to defeat the numerically superior enemy force. SGT Robinson's conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity, at the cost of his life, are in keeping with the finest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon the 1st Infantry Division and the U.S. Armed Forces.