Frederick D. Robinson was born on 7 December 1914 to Tascoe and Elizabeth A. Robinson in Washington DC. He graduated from Cardozo High School in D.C., where he received four athletic letters and was in the Cadet Corps. He later became a star athlete in basketball and football at St. Augustine College in Raleigh, North Carolina.

While living in New York City with his uncle and aunt, Edward and Elizabeth Cayden, and his grandmother, Sarah Robinson, Frederick registered for the draft on 16 October 1940 at the age of 25. At that time he worked as an elevator operator for Macy’s Department Store. In July 1941 he married Audrey Lucinda Gibson who was from Oakland, California. They had two children: a daughter, Jeri Evonne, and a son, Frederick Charles. Prior to entering the service in November 1943, Frederick worked for the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Force.

Frederick was part of Company B of the 370th Infantry Regiment of the 92nd Division. His serial number was 33749629. The 92nd Infantry Division was the only African-American infantry division that participated in combat in Europe during World War II. It was part of the U.S. Fifth Army, fighting in the Italian Campaign. These Buffalo Soldiers, as they were known, were part of the Army Ground Forces.

Private First-Class Frederick D. Robinson was killed in action in a Ligurian coastal assault in Italy on 14 October 1944. On 5 July 1945 the American Legion Gold Star Citation was given to his surviving kin. His remains were interred in Arlington National Cemetery on 18 November 1948 in Section 12 Site 1020. His remains were returned under the “Return of the Dead Program”, a massive effort to bring the military dead back to the continental United States. Frederick also received a Purple Heart for military merit and for wounds received resulting in his death.

The author of this story is Janne Boone, a retired teacher living in Florida. This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org ). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, a smartphone app will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

Sources:

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/307365:61788

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49303484

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/5925683:2442

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/194116593:2238

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/92nd_Infantry_Division_(United_States)

https://www.fold3.com/record/722889768/robinson-frederick-d-us-veterans-gravesites-ca1775-2019

Frederick D. Robinson, Pfc.