Leo R. Robinson
The following information and photos were provided by Loraine A. Koski and is used by permission. Her extensive research on Leo, his life and the circumstances of his death are extensive and thorough. Her full biography on Leo is available at the end of this tribute in PDF form.
Biography: Leo Richard Robinson was born on July 7, 1925, in Marquette, Michigan. He was the son of Goldie Robinson although he was raised mainly by his great-grandparents William and Mary Robinson on their small farm near Sundell, Michigan. He lived under the stigma of not having a father at home but was well-liked and rose to represent his sophomore class on the student council of Eben High School. In June of 1942, he was attending a trade school in Houghton, MI but by May of 1943, he had travelled to Cleveland, Ohio and was working on a career in mining.
Service Time: Leo was inducted on November 5th and by the 10th, he was on route to Fort Sheridan, Illinois. He was assigned to Camp Grant, IL, and then moved to Camp Roberts, California for his basic training. He was ultimately assigned to the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion and continued their training at several other locations including Camp Hood, Texas, Camp Adair, Oregon and Fort Lewis, Washington, in mid-November, 1943, where they began preparations for overseas shipment. On April 6, 1944, they traveled to Camp Shanks, New York, and departed the New York port aboard the Queen Elizabeth on the 20th, landing in Gourock, Scotland, on the 27th. During the trip, the entire battalion was assigned to KP duty.
The 705th landed at Utah Beach, Normandy, France, on July 18, equipped with M18 tank destroyers, and first made contact with the enemy on August the 3rd, southeast of Miniac, France. They fought toward Brest during August and then helped clear the Crozon Peninsula in September, moving across France to the Moselle River in October and advancing to the German border at Kitzing by mid-November. Shifting north to the Aachen, Germany area in early December, they were soon participating in the famous defense of Bastogne, Belgium, with the 101st Airborne Division during the Ardennes offensive. It was during their time at Bastogne that Private Leo R. Robinson was wounded and was moved to an Aid Station in the town of Bastogne. On the night of December 24th, the Germans unleashed an aerial bombardment of the town which totally destroyed the Aid Station and killed Leo.
A plaque shown on left is mounted at the site of the former Aid Station honoring the 30 wounded soldiers and Belgian nurse that were killed in the Christmas Eve bombing.
Due to the delay in in communication, his mother would initially be notified of his first injuries but it wasn’t until April 26th that she learned of his death. He was initially buried in a civilian cemetery at Bastogne but was recovered by Army Graves Registration troops on or around January 19, 1945, and interred in U.S. Military Cemetery #1 at Grand Failly, Longuyon, France, on 1/22/45 at 1400 (Plot I, Row 2, Grave 39). His mother requested that he be shipped home and on November 18, 1948, his body arrived in New York aboard the Army transport Carroll Victory.
Leo was finally laid to rest permanently on December 29th in the Park Cemetery, Marquette, MI.
In addition to Loraine, I would also like to thank Daniel Bussiere for his help with this tribute.
Leo R. Robinson Biography – by Loraine A. Koski
