James E. Robinson Jr., Medal of Honor hero at Belledune

Jan 18 , 2026

James E. Robinson Jr., Medal of Honor hero at Belledune

James E. Robinson Jr. crawled into a hailstorm of Lead and fire. His unit was pinned down, slaughtered one man at a time by a relentless German onslaught near Belledune, France, October 1944. Bullets tore past his face. He didn’t blink. He rose, single-handedly cutting through enemy foxholes, raking gunners with his Browning Automatic Rifle. Every step forward was soaked in courage and desperation. There was no choice but victory—or death.

Roots Forged in a Small-Town Furnace

Born in Hinsdale, Illinois, in 1918, James E. Robinson Jr. grew up with a steel spine and an unshakable faith instilled by his family’s devout Methodist roots. Discipline and duty weren’t abstract ideals; they were commands etched into his very bones. Before the war, Robinson worked as a carpenter—building, breaking, rebuilding. His hands knew sweat and rough edges.

His code? Carry your burden without complaint. Protect your brothers. Keep God close in the darkest hours. Psalm 23 wasn’t just scripture; it was armor:

_“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”_

This faith would feed his resolve, sharpen his purpose when chaos scrambled most men’s minds.

The Battle That Defined Him: The Road to Belledune

October 29, 1944.

Robinson served as a corporal in Company C, 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division—The “Old Hickory.” His squad advanced into a heavily fortified German position that blocked the Allied push into Nazi Germany. The enemy unleashed a barrage. One by one, squad members fell, mowed down by machine gun fire.

Rather than retreat or wait for reinforcements, Robinson assessed the desperate odds, seized his BAR, and charged forward. He moved like a ghost through trenches and dugouts, neutralizing enemy positions with precision—under fire, twice wounded but relentless.

Witnesses recalled his voice cutting through the roar:

“We’re not leaving anyone behind.”

His actions turned the tide, enabling his unit to take the position, preserving countless American lives.

Medal of Honor: Raw Valor Inscribed in Bronze

The U.S. Army recognized Robinson’s valor with the Medal of Honor—the nation’s highest military decoration.

His citation reads in part:

_“Corporal Robinson, alone and unaided, destroyed three enemy machine gun nests and two enemy rifle emplacements… though twice wounded, he refused evacuation and continued to advance and fight.”_

General Omar Bradley called him “a soldier of uncommon heroism whose courage under withering fire saved his comrades.”^1 The men of the 30th Infantry hailed him—a living testament that sacrifice in the belly of hell changes the course of battle.

Robinson’s medal was not a trophy but a sacred trust—to honor fallen brothers and carry forward the mission.

The Blood-Stained Legacy: What James Robinson Teaches Us

Robinson’s story is not just about brute courage; it’s about purpose, faith, and the cost of war. He walked through hell and came out bearing scars—not just physical but spiritual. His endurance reflected the harsh truth of combat: valor is forged in the crucible of relentless choice.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” (John 15:13)

James Robinson lived that verse under fire. Yet he carried his survival with humility, urging veterans to remember their worth beyond medals—the weight those moments left on their souls.

Today, his legacy demands something from us all: to see veterans not as distant heroes but broken men honored for bearing hell’s agony so others might live free. In the quiet aftermath of war, his example reminds us courage is not absence of fear—but presence of faith in spite of it.

Robinson’s journey is a call to us—the watchers, the civilians—to remember. To wrestle with sacrifice and redemption. His life burned fiercely, a flare in the night sky of history. And though he left that battlefield behind, the bloodstain of his sacrifice remains—a solemn marker on the road toward peace.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, _Medal of Honor Recipients – World War II_ 2. United States Department of Defense, _Medal of Honor Citation for James E. Robinson Jr._