Korea Memorial Robert Robinson

Robert Winfred (Robbie) Robinson, was born December 20, 1928, and lived on a farm near Chambersville. He graduated from Boyd High School in McKinney in 1945, and enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of seventeen. At the recruiting center in downtown Dallas, he was sworn in along side his older brother Billy Gene who was re-enlisting. Billy Gene was already a combat veteran having seen action in the battles of Peleliu and Okinawa in World War II and was currently serving in China. Another brother, Leon, was a Marine as well. Robbie served his tour of duty and came back home in 1949, where he enrolled in college at North Texas State Teachers College in Denton. When the war in Korea broke out he re-enlisted and was assigned to 1^st Provisional Marine Brigade at Camp Pendleton, California. Robert was a tanker with D Company, 1^st Tank Battalion, 1^st Marine Division. During the war in Korea, he was involved in one of the most famous battles in Marine Corps history at the Chosin Resorvoir. On February 21, 1951, Operation Killer was launched, and Robbie’s unit had moved to the area around the small town of Hoengsong, ten miles north of Wonju, where they were engaged in house-to-house fighting while trying to clear the town of enemy soldiers. It was during an artillery barrage in one of those battles on February 22, that PFC Robert W. Robinson was killed. He was inside one of those houses when it collapsed after being hit by artillery shells. He was twenty-two years old.


Robbie Robinson	Robbie and Billy Gene at the USMC recruiting station in Dallas	Pvt Robinson at Camp Pendleton	Robbie on the right

	Platoon 221 Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego 1946	Robbie (in the center)	The bad news

General Headquarters
United Nations Command
Office of the Commander-In-Chief

2 April, 1951
Dear Mr. Robinson:
The untimely and tragic loss of your son, Robert, who died as a result of wounds sustained on the field of battle in Korea, has shocked all of us deeply. Some measure of comfort my be derived from the knowledge that he died in the service of his country and in the defense of peace-loving people. I am confident that his devotion to duty, at the cost of all he held dear, will hasten the day when ruthless aggression shall disappear from the face of the earth and free men everywhere will live together in peace and harmony. Our faith enables us to withstand the shock and grief of death. It is my earnest prayer that Almighty God will sustain and strengthen you in this hour of trial. While the loss of your beloved one will be a hardship, we know that no life is really lost for those who have faith in God.
Sincerely yours,
Douglas MacArthur

In Grateful Memory Of
Robert Winfred Robinson
Who died In The Service Of His Country On 22 February 1951 in Korea.

He stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die
That freedom might live, and grow, and increase its blessings.
Freedom lives, and through it he lives-On in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men.
Harry Truman
President of the United States of America