• 17 •
The time Jackie spent waiting for his court-martial had not been idle. With his unit subject to overseas deployment, Jackie again had had to deal with his fitness status regarding his injured ankle.
On June 26, 1944, Jackie had appeared before the McCloskey General Hospital Disposition Board that was evaluating his latest medical examination to determine if he was physically able to accompany the 761st Tank Battalion in its deployment overseas.
The Deposition Board recorded that its diagnosis was unchanged from that of Brooke Army Hospital—Robinson suffered from lingering pain and swelling from prolonged use of his ankle due to injuries suffered playing football in 1937 and 1941. “The Board is of the opinion,” the record said, “that this officer is still unfit for general but is fit for limited service. The Board recommends that this officer appear before an Army Retiring Board for consideration of reassignment to permanent limited military service. This officer is fit for overseas duty.”
This ambiguous evaluation had left Jackie confused. He was “fit for overseas duty” while at the same time being recommended for “permanent limited military service.” Also, the referral to the Retiring Board meant that Jackie could also be considered for a medical discharge.
On July 21, two weeks before his court-martial, Robinson had appeared before the Retiring Board at McCloskey Hospital to determine if he should be “retired from the Service of the United States.” The six officers and their Recorder asked the questions.
The first question was from the Recorder who asked Robinson if he desired to be retired from the service. Jackie responded, “No, sir.”
To the question, “Do you consider your disability permanent?” Jackie again answered, “No, sir.”
The Recorder had then introduced Robinson’s Report of Physical Examination and the findings of the Disposition Board. After a brief discussion, the Retiring Board had announced that it agreed with the Disposition Board. It had found Robinson “incapacitated for active duty” but to be returned to his unit in “a limited service status.” The entire Board meeting had lasted only fifteen minutes, after which Jackie had returned to Camp Hood to prepare for his court-martial.
Following his acquittal, Robinson reported to the 758th Tank Battalion—the unit to which he been transferred in order to have its commanding officer recommend the court-martial. At the battalion’s location at North Camp Hood, Jackie was assigned to B Company. Neither he nor any of the other soldiers made any record of their feelings about this assignment. Jackie surely must have been displeased because he was again reporting to the man who authorized his trial. On the other hand, the unit may not have been eager to welcome him back. With the 758th in the process of preparing for overseas deployment and the Army experiencing a shortage of lieutenants, having a “limited duty” one fill a slot would not have been readily acceptable.
Even though the court-martial was over, it was not in the past. While Jackie faced post-court-martial assignment difficulties, the Army endured dozens of inquiries about the event, inquiries from the War Department in Washington, D.C., questions from the NAACP, information requests from a multitude of others. Senator Sheridan Downey (D, CA), as one of those concerned, wrote letters to the War Department requesting information. These correspondences, known as “Congressionals,” are given great and immediate attention, as senators and congressmen are the ones who make budget decisions. By the time the letters were received, however, the court-martial had already occurred. Both Camp Hood and the War Department simply responded, “Lt. Robinson was tried by court martial on August 3, 1944 and acquitted on all charges.”
Robinson’s stay with the 758th Tank Battalion did not last long. On August 19, orders transferred him to the 659th Tank Destroyer Battalion also located at North Camp Hood. Instead of preparing for deployment overseas, the 659th was in the process of transferring its assets and personnel to other units to meet its date of disbandment on December 1. This assignment was likely in response to the 758th Battalion’s not wanting an officer on “limited duty” taking one of its lieutenant’s positions.
Although Jackie had professed to the Retiring Board a few weeks earlier that he wanted to remain in the army, his court-martial and unit transfers had changed his mind. In his biography, he wrote, “I was pretty much fed up with the service. So I did something which is very much frowned upon in GI procedure. I sent an airmail special delivery letter to the Adjutant General’s office in Washington, D.C. This was in violation of the standard procedure of going through your own company, battalion, regiment, and division headquarters. On the way up, such correspondence, if it ever reaches its intended destination, can get marked up with disapproving notations from your superior officers. The disapproving endorsements have great weight with the top brass which is very likely to turn down any request you make which is not favorable in the eyes of your superiors. I bypassed all that.”
Jackie’s letter (Appendix W), dated August 25, 1944, referenced the findings of the Army Retiring Board at McCloskey Hospital that placed him on limited duty and said, “In checking with the Special Services Branch I was told that there were no openings for Colored Officers in that field. I request to be retired from the service and be placed on reserve as I feel I can be of more service to the government doing defense work rather than being on limited duty with an outfit that is already better than 100% over strength in officers.”
Robinson did not receive a response to his letter to the Adjutant General before receiving orders on September 19 to report to the segregated 372nd Infantry Regiment at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky—another army camp named after a Confederate army general. This transfer was unrelated to either his court-martial or his letter to the Adjutant General; rather it was part of the preparation of the disbandment of the 659th and the preparation of the 372nd for deployment to the Pacific. He was not singled out as nine other African American lieutenants stationed at Camp Hood also were on the transfer orders with Robinson. It is unlikely, however, that any of the Camp Hood leadership were particularly unhappy to see him go.
From Camp Breckinridge on September 29, Jackie once again wrote to the War Department Adjutant General. In his letter (Appendix X) he referenced his previous correspondence and said, “Since that time I have been transferred to an infantry unit, and to do duty with this organization would only further aggravate my injury.” He concluded by again requesting he be placed on inactive status.
This time Jackie forwarded the letter though proper channels. His company commander prepared a 1st Indorsement on September 30 that merely stated “Forwarded.” This second letter, with the company commander’s indorsement, went no further because actions were proceeding in reference to Jackie’s first letter.
On September 26, with no reference to Jackie’s request not having been submitted through proper channels, the War Department Adjutant General sent a message down the chain of command, stating “Inasmuch as Lieutenant Robinson does not desire to be retained on active duty in a limited service capacity, it is desired that orders be issued relieving him from active duty.”
The Adjutant General’s message passed through the various appropriate headquarters until October 17 when Jackie received orders releasing him from the 372nd at Camp Breckinridge, effective October 21. He was then assigned to Camp Wheeler, Georgia—still another camp named after a Confederate general. In the meantime—while his orders for him to revert to inactive status were processed—he was granted leave to go home to California. On November 18, 1944, Robinson received his orders relieving him from active duty with an honorable discharge.