Led by honor, 1/5 mourns true warrior

Photo By Maj. Timothy Irish | FORWARD OPERATING BASE JACKSON, Helmand province, Afghanistan - U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, pay their final respects to Sergeants Daniel Patron, Joshua Robinson and Adan Gonzales Jr. during a memorial ceremony held at Forward Operating Base Jackson, Sangin, Afghanistan, Aug. 16. The Marines were killed in action while conducting combat operations in the district. (Photo by Cpl. Logan W. Pierce)  

FORWARD OPERATING BASE JACKSON, HELMAND PROVINCE,, AFGHANISTAN

08.16.2011

Story by Cpl. Benjamin Crilly 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

FORWARD OPERATING BASE JACKSON, Helmand province, Afghanistan - “If there is one thing I would have to say about Sgt. Robinson it would be that he is the ultimate man’s man,” said Cpl. Michael A. Pinedo.

Sgt. Joshua J. Robinson, a scout sniper, along with two other fallen heroes from 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment were honored during a memorial service at Forward Operating Base Jackson, Aug 16.

“His character was strong and his attitude was firm, yet fair,"

Robinson, remembered for his personality and his desire to teach, was killed in action Aug. 7, while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in the Northern Sangin “green zone.”

“The things he said, the things he did and that stern facial expression showed how much of a hard, solid individual he was as a Marine and as a person,” said Pinedo, from Los Angeles. “’I eat stews not soups!’ he would say, ‘with meat and potatoes!’ soup is not as hearty and meaty as stew therefore it was not manly enough for Sgt. Robinson.”

“His dry sense of humor at times put a smile on your face,” said Gunnery Sgt. Shawn E. Hughes, the 1/5 SSP commander. “His stern actions and no nonsense attitude made him the man he was.”

Robinson, from Hastings, Neb., was a role model for those around him and backed it up with his professionalism both on and off the battlefield.

“Josh took great pride in his job and always carried himself in a manner that was befitting of a quiet professional,” said Hughes, from Roseburg, Ore. “Josh had a fighting spirit that was displayed time and time again on the battlefield.”

When not out doing the job he loved, the Iraq and Afghanistan veteran focused on training junior Marines how to be better snipers. This training continued in the deployed environment and austere conditions of Afghanistan that Robinson thrived on.

“He was the Marine you could always count on in the time of need, whether it was on the battlefield or on a personal level,” said Pinedo.

“Josh was an outstanding leader, teacher and mentor to those around him,” said Hughes.

If Robinson had wanted a change of pace from deployments and training he could have easily become a drill instructor or a recruiter for his second assignment. He chose neither. Robinson served for two years as an instructor for the Mountain Sniper Course and the chief instructor of the Mountain Survival Course at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center located in Pickel Meadow, Calif.

The same qualities that made him a respected noncommissioned officer also prepared him for parenting two sons, Kodiak and Wyatt.

“When I think of Josh, I picture him snaring some animals in the wilderness along with teaching his boys the way of an outdoorsman,” said Hughes.

Those in attendance at the memorial service recalled their interactions with Robinson, after the formal ceremony. Robinson anecdotes varied from the serious to the absurd but one theme prevailed, warrior.

• Date Taken: 08.16.2011
• Date Posted: 08.19.2011 03:32
• Story ID: 75601
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE JACKSON, HELMAND PROVINCE,, AF