Army veteran served in France during Berlin Wall Crisis
Brunswick NewsFeb 12, 2020
Born: Waterbury, Pa.
Residence:
Service: Army, three years
Duties: Fuel and electrical repair
Rank: Specialist 4
Duty stations:
His story: Timing led to
He was one of seven children living on the family farm when he decided to enlist in the military to help his family financially.
"Poverty was the level we lived in," he said. "There was no work available."
He wanted to enlist in the
The Army and
"I didn't like water," he said.
Robinson had dropped out of high school and was too young to enlist without his parents' permission. His parents signed the paperwork enabling him to join the Army.
He was trained in fuel and electrical repair and sent to
During the inauguration of President
ceremony during a snowstorm.
"We were on standby, just in case," he said.
He got orders to
"My mother said I'd never get another chance to go to
He was stationed in a coastal area where the Germans built tunnels to hide U-boats during the war. He was put in charge of a paint shop, and later served in an office where he made sure parts were available and the work was completed.
The WWII movie "The Longest Day" was filmed while he was in
His tour of duty was extended during the start of the Berlin Wall Crisis.
"Our job was to ship vehicles over to
After the vehicles were checked by the team of mechanics, they were driven to
At the time, Robinson said the French wanted the American
military bases out of their country.
"The Frenchmen hate Americans," he said. "It was nasty back then."
Robinson chose not to re-enlist because he didn't believe he could survive on
"It taught me don't expect anything from anybody," he said. "You will not live if you don't work."
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