James E. Robinson Jr.'s Medal of Honor Valor at Mount Battaglia

Dec 14 , 2025

James E. Robinson Jr.'s Medal of Honor Valor at Mount Battaglia

Shells screamed overhead. Smoke choked the air. Men were pinned down, frozen between death and duty. But James E. Robinson Jr. would not let the line break. With grit clawed from the very marrow of his soul, he plunged into the hellfire, carving way for his brothers under a merciless storm.

The Boy Who Became a Soldier

James E. Robinson Jr. was no stranger to hardship. Raised in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of modest means, he learned early to shoulder responsibility. The Great Depression left scars—not just on the land but etched deep in the hearts of young men like Robinson. He carried those scars into service.

His faith was a quiet but iron core. Baptized in the harsh lessons of hardship, Robinson clung to Psalm 23 as a shield: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil...” This trust was no idle prayer but a living creed. Duty, honor, and sacrifice formed the compass by which he navigated the madness of war.

The Battle That Defined Him

It was September 1944, in the blistering crucible of France. Assigned to Company E, 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division, Robinson faced an enemy entrenched on steep slopes near Mount Battaglia. German machine guns fired with cold precision, cutting down waves of American soldiers.

On September 27, with his unit pinned and bleeding, Robinson refused to yield. Armed with a rifle and a burning resolve, he advanced alone, drawing fire like a moth to the flame, but never faltering. Twice wounded, weakened beyond what any man should endure, he led charge after charge against the German positions.

When his platoon’s riflemen were down, he rallied the survivors to take enemy machine gun nests. When supplies ran low and counterattacks hit, Robinson’s relentless drive kept the line alive. His actions did not just save lives. They pierced the dark veil of despair and turned the tide on that bloody hill.

Medal of Honor: Hard-Earned and Well-Deserved

President Harry S. Truman awarded Sergeant James E. Robinson Jr. the Medal of Honor on June 28, 1945, with commendation for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity” at Mount Battaglia. The official citation reads:

“He single-handedly destroyed enemy machine gun emplacements and held positions against repeated enemy attacks despite being wounded twice... his heroic actions materially contributed to the success of the assault and inspired his company to hold ground critical to the division’s advance.”[¹]

Commanders who served alongside him hailed Robinson as the “embodiment of courage under fire.” First Lieutenant Robert E. Lee, his platoon leader, later said,

“Robinson didn’t think about survival. He only thought about his men and the mission. He saved us all that day.”[²]

What Robinson’s Fight Teaches Us

War is not glory. It is raw sacrifice sprinkled with fleeting moments of valor. Robinson’s story isn’t about medals or monuments—it’s about a man who chose the hard right over the easy wrong, again and again, under hellish fire.

His scars—wounds visible and invisible—testify to a truth often lost in the sanitized histories: heroism demands everything.

But redemption curls beneath the blood and grit. From the ruins of battlefields to the stillness afterward, Robinson’s faith and leadership remind us that courage isn’t absence of fear—it’s the strength to choose purpose over panic.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7

Where Courage Finds Its Home

James E. Robinson Jr. passed from this world but left a torch burning for every soldier wounded in spirit and body. His tale warns us against forgetting what true courage means—facing death not for fame but for brothers in arms.

His legacy calls veterans to remember their power beyond the battlefield: to lead in peace, to bear scars with dignity, and to live lives anchored in unwavering purpose. To civilians, it offers a raw look into the cost of freedom and a plea to honor those who bleed for it.

The hill near Mount Battaglia remains quiet now. But the echoes of Robinson’s footsteps still ripple in the dust. In his relentless advance through fire and flesh, he carved not just a path up a slope—but a path home for all who wrestle with war’s darkness. And in that, the fight never truly ends—it carries on, a testament written deep in the blood of those who dare to stand.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, “Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II” 2. 88th Infantry Division Association, “The Blue Devil Division: Stories of Valor”