General Roscoe Robinson Research Paper

General Roscoe Robinson

Born October 11, 1928 in St. Louis, MO to Roscoe Sr and Lillie Brown. Roscoe Senior was a Steel worker and Lillie was a Homemaker. Roscoe was a graduate of Sumner High School in 1946, where he was the class president. After high school Robinson wanted to join the military but was not old enough to be drafted.

Roscoe decided to attend St. Louis University for one year and then from there he attended West Point Military academy in New York. While there Roscoe received his B. S in Military engineering. He was the 16th African American to graduate from West Point in West Points’ 150 plus year history. After graduation Robinson planned to continue his military career and was given a list of assignments: He was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S Army in a segregated unit as well as given the assignment of Associate Infantry Officer Course, Airborne Basic

During this stint, he completed two additional tours of duty but this time now with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd battle group of the 504th Airborne infantry regiment as the Company Commander of “E” company of the 504th. Robinson graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College in 1963, for which he received his Master’s in Public and International Affairs from the university of Pittsburgh. In 1978, he was promoted to Deputy Chief of staff operations for the U.S Army Europe & the 17th Army, then by 1980 he was again promoted to Lieutenant General and became Commanding General of the U.S Army. Then in 1982 he became the first African American Four-Star General who served as representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In Robinson’s 34 years of service he received multiple medals: two Distinguished Service Medals, The Distinguished Flying Cross, two Silver Stars, and 11 Air