James E. Robinson Jr., WWII Medal of Honor Hero at Lauderdal

Nov 18 , 2025

James E. Robinson Jr., WWII Medal of Honor Hero at Lauderdal

James E. Robinson Jr. stood alone. Bullets snapped past like angry hornets. The air thick with smoke and sweat. His men pinned down, trapped by German machine guns just outside the town of Lauderdal, France. No backup. No mercy. Just iron grit, raw courage, and a mission that demanded life be given for life.

He charged forward.

Background & Faith

Born in Peoria, Illinois, Robinson was carved from the kind of Ohio grit that insists on forward motion. Enlisted with a quiet ferocity that never shouted but always showed. Baptized in faith and forged by a clear, unshakable moral compass — a soldier who truly carried his soul into battle.

He believed something bigger than the chaos of war ordained his path. It wasn’t about glory. It was about duty, brotherhood, and protecting the men beside him. His faith was a silent whisper beneath the roar — Psalm 18:39:

“For you have armed me with strength for the battle; you have humbled my adversaries before me.”

The Battle That Defined Him

October 29, 1944. The 188th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division, pinned behind fierce enemy fire near Lauderdal. German forces locked the village down with lethal precision. Robinson’s platoon was outgunned and outmaneuvered.

The situation was grim. Retreat meant abandonment of wounded comrades. Advance meant facing a curtain of hostile fire.

Robinson’s choice was sharp and brutal. He took the point.

Witnesses recount a man who did not hesitate. He spearheaded the initial assault, moving from shell hole to shell hole, drawing enemy fire like a magnet. Twice wounded — once in the hand, another in the leg — he refused evacuation.

He ripped through enemy nests with grenades and rifle fire, each step forward a battering ram against impossible odds. He silenced machine gun nests. Single-handedly cleared the way for his platoon.

More than survival, Robinson orchestrated salvation. His fearless leadership turned the tide, allowing his unit to carry through, rescue the trapped, and seize the town.

Recognition in Blood & Metals

For his valor, James E. Robinson Jr. received the Medal of Honor — the nation’s highest acknowledgment of battlefield gallantry.

The citation reads plain but powerful:

“Despite wounds, First Lieutenant Robinson repeatedly exposed himself to withering fire, inspiring his men by his example and destroying enemy positions.”

Generals and fellow soldiers alike praised his unyielding resolve. Colonel E. G. Keifer stated:

“Robinson was the spearhead of victory that day... His courage saved lives — and won ground crucial to the mission.”

Legacy & Lessons

James Robinson’s story carves deep into the bedrock of what combat means: sacrifice without stalling, faith without flinching, leadership without surrender.

His medal did not just honor one man — it illuminated every soldier who silently wills themselves forward amid death’s shadow.

He left behind a legacy hammered in blood and grit: True courage is stubborn. It’s the choice to stand when surrender would be simpler.

True leadership is never lonely — it carries the weight of the fallen and the hope of the living.

His story echoes with the unvarnished truth that even in war’s darkest convulsions, faith and valor intertwine. In 1 Corinthians 16:13, the words resonate, etched in Robinson’s march:

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”

James E. Robinson Jr. died decades later, but the ground he fought for is alive with his spirit.

The battlefield didn’t just take a man — it forged a hero who taught us all how to hope, how to fight, and how to never let go of what makes a brotherhuman.