 Memorial Fund |
Remember...Loyd Eugene Robinson
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Loyd Eugene Robinson was born in Walkersville, Lewis County, West Virginia on February 17, 1950, to Richard Charles and Adeline Williams Robinson. He was the youngest of six brothers, who had all gone into military service before him, and four sisters. He went to Lewis County High School and participated in track events and wrestling. Loyd also enjoyed riding his motorcycle.
Loyd Robinson grew up in a 1950s world that was a time of tension between communism and capitalism. The Cold War had been heating up and pressure was rising between North and South Vietnam. The fear of communism had everyone on edge, and when the United States sent troops to assist South Vietnam, Loyd was one of the many people to be drafted into service. On the less political side, television was taking off, and musical artists like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra were at the height of their popularity.
| Loyd Robinson earned the rank of Specialist 4th Class (SP4) and later received the honorable Army Commendation Medal and the Purple Heart as granted by the President of the United States. He started his tour in Vietnam on September 13, 1970, as part of Charlie Company Rangers Force Unit (Long-Range Patrol), 20th Infantry (Airborne), First Field Force Vietnam (IFFV). This unit was made up of highly trained, motivated soldiers who all had at least six months of active service and had undergone a rigorous selection program. His unit was involved in the Counteroffensive Phase VII Campaign. It was initiated on July 1, 1970, and ended on June 30, 1971. Their goal was to cut off access to the Ho Chi Minh Trail and destroy bases at Xepon, also known as Tchepone and Sepon. The operation was called Lam Son 719 and was led by Southern Vietnamese troops who were assisted by U.S. fire and air support. The entire operation consisted of four parts, the first being to clear a path to the Laotian border while the U.S. 101st Airborne Division created a diversion at A Shau Valley. This part of the operation lasted until February 7, 1971. During the second part, the goal was to provide support and tactical/strategic assistance to the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam units and ended in March 1971. The third phase, which was also the shortest, lasted only 16 days, and the final step was to withdraw to another base. During the withdrawal, Robinson was fatally shot by small arms fire and was the last person to be killed in action from his unit. He was killed in action on June 11, 1971, in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam. His remains were recovered, and he is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens located in Weston, Lewis County, West Virginia. |  The Ranger Insignia |
On June 24, 2011, West Virginia recognized his sacrifice by renaming a bridge in his honor located on Oil Creek Rd, in Weston, West Virginia, which is near his hometown of Walkersville in Lewis County. His name can be found on Panel 3W, Line 72, of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, as well as the Special Operations Memorial Wall located at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida, along with a memorial brick inscribed with his name at the Ranger Memorial at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Photos of the family at the bridge dedication, the Special Ops Memorial Wall, and the Ranger Memorial can be found on SP4 Loyd Eugene Robinson's page on the Together We Served website, accessed 10 April 2019 (https://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxPersonPhoto&type=PersonExt&filter=All&order=Sequence_desc&maxphoto=4&show_grid_View=0&ID=66406&selectedPhotoID=453742).
Article prepared by Andrea Goodman and Maddie Bowles, George Washington High School JROTC
March 2019
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
