James E. Robinson Jr., World War II Medal of Honor hero

Dec 25 , 2025

James E. Robinson Jr., World War II Medal of Honor hero

James E. Robinson Jr. charged across a rain of bullets, alone, his squad pinned down and bleeding on the frozen blood-soaked ground of eastern France. The roar of artillery hammered the air, smoke choked vision, but Robinson moved like a force of reckoning. One man against an enemy nest, with no thought but mission and the lives of his brothers. He pushed forward under hell’s fire—leadership made flesh, sacrifice etched in scars.

The Roots of a Warrior

Born in Mitchell County, North Carolina, January 1918, James E. Robinson Jr. grew up grounded in simple faith and hard work—a farm boy with a Bible in his hand and grit in his heart. Quiet, steady, with a moral code rooted in scripture and sweat.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." — Joshua 1:9.

This was his compass. Not a talking man, but a doing man. When war came, Robinson answered the call without hesitation, joining the U.S. Army in 1941, just before America’s plunge into worldwide fire.

The Battle That Defined Him

December 27, 1944—the Battle of Oberhoffen, Alsace-Lorraine, France. Hitler’s forces unleashed the infamous Ardennes Offensive, the Battle of the Bulge was raging. Robinson, a Staff Sergeant in the 3rd Infantry Division, found his squad pinned down by an enemy machine gun emplacement. Casualties mounting, orders lost in the chaos.

Robinson didn't wait. He grabbed a submachine gun, crawled through frozen mud and snow, crouching low beneath withering fire. Over open ground and behind shattered trees, he reached that nest. One shot. Two shots. Enemy gunners hit hard. Then onward—leading assaults to neutralize three more enemy nests.

His cold courage inspired others to rally and attack with renewed ferocity. Without Robinson’s daring offensive move, his unit might have been annihilated or taken prisoner.

The Medal of Honor citation reads, in part:

"Staff Sergeant Robinson personally led small groups in attacks against strong enemy positions, clearing them with relentless fury. His fearless leadership and heroic bravery inspired his men and contributed decisively to the success of the operation."

No exaggeration—his actions saved lives, held the line, and turned the tide in that deadly winter fight.[1]

Recognition Etched in Valor

For his unyielding bravery, Robinson was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman on August 23, 1945. A soldier’s soldier, he never sought fame. To him, medals were reminders of brothers lost, battles survived, and duty done.

General Alexander Patch called Robinson’s attack “a textbook example of courage under fire” and a “beacon of hope in the bleakest hours.” Comrades remembered him as “quiet but fierce” and “the man you wanted in front when hell broke loose.”

Legacy Born in Blood and Fire

James E. Robinson Jr. walked off the battlefield but never from the price paid. His scars were not just physical—they were in memory, in every comrade who owed their life to his fearless charge.

His story is a raw reminder: Courage is action in the face of death. Leadership is sacrifice, not rank. Faith and resolve forge warriors in the darkest crucibles.

His legacy is the timeless call that no man fights alone—and that redemption waits in the storm.

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength... they will soar on wings like eagles..." — Isaiah 40:31.

The battlefield may be silent now around Oberhoffen, but Robinson’s charge echoes still. In every veteran who faces fear, in every soul tested by fire, his example stands untamed and unbroken. The past bleeds into the present. Remember. Honor. Carry the torch.