US Navy Rear Admiral. A veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, he was the highest ranking Navy officer to die in the Vietnam War. Born in Clearfield, Pennsylvania his father was a World War I US Navy veteran. He attended Pennsylvania State College (now Pennsylvania State University) in State College, Pennsylvania for a time before enlisting in the US Navy Reserve as a Midshipman in 1943, during World War II. The following year he was commissioned in the Navy Reserve as an Ensign and was assigned to the amphibious force, first on the staff of Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet, then aboard USS LST-485, a tank landing ship, and participated in combat operations, including the Invasion of Okinawa and the post-war evacuation of Chinese refugees fleeing from advancing Communist forces. He then served at the headquarters of the 4th Naval District at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the 12th Naval District at Mare Island in Vallejo, California, and served aboard three additional LSTs, before transferring to the destroyer force. In 1949 he served aboard the destroyer USS English as chief engineer and participated in the Korean War and in 1952 he returned to shore duty, serving at the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington DC. From 1954 to 1956 he was an executive officer of the destroyer USS Walker, after which he attended the Armed Forces Staff College (not Joint Forces Staff College) in Norfolk, Virginia. His next assignment was the assistant head of the Command Policy Section, Strategic Plans Division, within the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington DC. In 1959 he returned to sea duty aboard destroyer escort USS Charles Berry, then under construction at the Avondale Yards in Louisiana, as prospective commanding officer, and assumed command upon the ship's commissioning in November of that year. The following year he served a brief tour of the staff of Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Force, Pacific Fleet, and in December 1960 he assumed command of the destroyer USS Bradford. In January 1962 he returned to Washington DC for a second tour of duty, as Objective Plans Officer, Strategic Plans Division, of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. During this tour he completed his college education, receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Sciences from George Washington University. In August 1964 he returned to the West Coast as Executive Assistant and Aide to the Commander In Chief, Pacific Fleet. In September 1968 he became commander of Destroyer Squadron 31 and was involved in combat operations in Vietnam. The following year he returned to Washington DC for a third time, as a member of the Chairman's Staff Group within the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During this assignment, he served as the liaison between Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, the then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and President's Assistant for National Security Affairs Dr. Henry Kissinger. In 1970 he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral and at the time of his promotion, he was one of the youngest flag officers in the Navy, marking the third time he had been selected for early promotion. Also during this tour, he helped update potential plans for the mining of Haiphong Harbor in North Vietnam that was first conceived in 1965, and these plans became the basis for Operation Pocket Money. In 1971, Robinson returned to sea duty, taking command of Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 11 and Task Force 75. In May 1972, President Richard M. Nixon ordered the execution of Operation Pocket Money and after receiving the order, he flew with four other Navy officers from his flagship, the light cruiser USS Providence to the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea, for an air and surface attack coordination meeting with Rear Admiral Damon Cooper, Commander, Attack Carrier Striking Force, 7th Fleet. On the return trip later that evening, as the helicopter was attempting to land on the Providence with the four men aboard, an engine failed, causing the helicopter to crash into the Gulf of Tonkin. He was pronounced dead at the age of 47 after his body was recovered by ship's crewmembers. He had served for 29 years in the US Navy. Among his military and foreign decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal with gold star, the Bronze Star with gold star, the Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia and Europe clasps, the China Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with bronze star, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with silver star, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with device, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross. He was the last American service member of at least two-star rank to die as a result of official duty until Lieutenant General Timothy J. Maude was killed at the Pentagon in Washington DC in the September 11, 2011 terrorist attack and the last killed in the line of duty on foreign soil until US Army Major General Harold J. Greene was killed in Afghanistan on August 5, 2014.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
