James E. Robinson Jr. Medal of Honor Hero of the 761st

Feb 15 , 2026

James E. Robinson Jr. Medal of Honor Hero of the 761st

James E. Robinson Jr. stood in a hellscape of smoke and fire, shells ripping cement and dirt, his men faltering under brutal German machine-gun nests. Alone, bleeding, every breath racked with pain, he refused to break. One bullet had torn through his helmet, another shattered his hand. Yet he pressed forward—dragging his unit to safety, carrying wounded, silencing enemy guns with knives and grenades. This was no reckless charge—it was salvation hammered from resolve and raw grit.

Roots of a Fighter

Born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1918, Robinson was molded by hard Midwestern values—work, faith, and an unshakeable sense of duty to something beyond himself. Before the war, he worked as a welder, hands toughened by steel and flame. The church pew was no stranger to him; beneath his tough exterior burned a quiet, steadfast belief. His actions later bore the mark of a man who clung to the promise of Psalm 18:39, “You armed me with strength for battle.”

He carried those words into combat. Not for glory. For the men beside him. For the idea that courage, even in the darkest moments, could carve a path forward.

The Battle That Defined Him

April 6, 1945. Outside Mertzwiller, France. The 761st Tank Battalion swept into the ruins of war-weary villages, pushing against a desperate, entrenched enemy. Robinson was a Staff Sergeant in Company C. His unit faced an enemy counterattack that threatened to shred their hold on a critical crossroads.

Enemy fire pinned down Robinson’s squad—“death traps,” one survivor later called them. The roar of heavy machine guns cut through the air as bodies fell. The unit was paralyzed.

Then Robinson acted.

Despite wounds in his head and hand, he led a small force forward against two enemy machine-gun nests. Charging through open ground, he silenced the first emplacement by lobbing grenades under a hailstorm of bullets. Without pause, he moved to the second nest, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy gunners. His savage courage broke the enemy’s grip and opened a path for his men.

Unable to walk, he kept his squad moving, using a rifle as a brace. His actions saved at least 12 lives and secured the road for the battalion’s advance.

“Staff Sergeant Robinson’s indomitable fighting spirit and leadership… were an inspiration to his comrades and a driving force in the success of the mission.” — Medal of Honor citation, 1946[1]

Honoring Valor

Robinson received the Medal of Honor for that day’s torrid fight, presented by President Harry S. Truman on February 13, 1946. The words etched in his citation are stark, unvarnished truth: “His gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.”

Comrades remembered him as a warrior who carried the weight of command but never lost sight of the men under his care. One fellow soldier said, “He didn’t lead men to their deaths. He led men to survive.”

He also earned the Purple Heart for wounds that never fully healed, and the Bronze Star for sustained valor. His name is etched on the roll of the 761st Tank Battalion—the “Black Panthers,” a unit that broke barriers as one of the first African American armored divisions in WWII.

Legacy in Blood and Faith

James E. Robinson Jr.’s story is a testament to the brutal grace found on the battlefield—where every choice demands sacrifice, where valor is inseparable from vulnerability.

He survived the war, but carried its scars—visible and unseen—until his passing in 1945 from wounds complications. His legacy lives on in the raw, unfiltered courage of those who fight knowing there will be no applause. Only the quiet certainty that their sacrifice shields freedom for those who follow.

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.” — Psalm 144:1

For every veteran who has crawled from the mud with bloodied hands, Robinson’s story says this: Trust the fight. Carry the scars. Walk forward with faith—and know the cost is never in vain. There are battles beyond the battlefield—against despair, against silence. And in those fights, the same courage endures.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients - World War II 2. Major Howard V. Lee, The History of the 761st Tank Battalion 3. National WWII Museum, The Black Panthers: The 761st Tank Battalion 4. Presidential Medal of Honor citation archives