In this photograph provided by the Veterans Memorial Museum, Craig Robinson is seen during his days in the military.
A local veteran will be presented the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal from Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler over 30 years after he helped wounded military personnel after a deadly terrorist attack in Lebanon.
Craig Robinson, of Curtis, arrived to the USS Iwo Jima one day before the Oct. 23, 1983, Beirut barracks bombings occurred.
The attack on the barracks for the 1st Battalion 8th Marines was the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima, claiming the lives of 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers.
Robinson was on the helicopter carrier when the injured and dead started arriving.
According to Chip Duncan, executive director of the museum, then 19-year-old Robinson spent the day holding people as they died, and placing bodies into the freezer.
“That was his first real day in the Navy,” he said.
Robinson told The Chronicle that he was on the USS Iwo Jima waiting to be moved to his assigned ship.
“That was on Oct. 22 and then I assumed they were going to fly me to my ship the next day,” Robinson said. “But the next morning it was when the Marine headquarters got blown up, so needless to say we didn’t go anywhere.”
The ship was turned into a makeshift hospital, Robinson said, as the wounded and the dead began arriving.
“That was my first full day in the Navy,” he said. “I did what I did to help the best I could and then the next day they asked for volunteers to go ashore and help clean up, so I went there where the building was.”
The next day after volunteering, he was taken to his assigned ship.
Robinson said his Veterans Affairs counselor was the first person to bring the medal to his attention. He should have received it, but never did.
That’s when the counselor filled out the paperwork to make sure Robinson was recognized for his actions.
“I’m excited about it, but I didn’t know it was going to be such a big production,” Robinson said with a laugh. “It caught me off guard.”
At noon on Monday, Jan. 16, Herrera Beutler will award Robinson the medal.
Duncan said what makes this medal unique is the recipient who is receiving it. He said Robinson is one of the most humble people he has ever met.
He has known Robinson for several years, but only recently found out about his involvement on the USS Iwo Jima.
“When you’re 19 and see stuff like that it affects you,” Duncan said. “It affected Craig for 30 years and he never talked about it…. Just knowing Craig and knowing how much bravery it took for him to speak about it 30 years afterwards is amazing.”
The first time Robinson publicly spoke about his experiences was last year at the museum’s Desert War Veterans Day event.
Duncan decided Robinson needed more recognition than just the medal, and reached out to Herrera Beutler’s office to ask if she would award the medal.
“My devious mind said we need to do something because it is an event,” Duncan said. “Most people don’t even remember it, but yet Craig was there, and he’s never going to forget it just like the veterans that were there are never going to forget it.”
Robinson joined the Navy shortly after high school when the lumber mill where he recently got a job at closed.
“I couldn’t find work, it was right during the recession at that time,” Robinson said. “I told my mom I was going to go to Lacey and look for a job, and then I went to the recruiting station.”
He spent six years in the Navy. Robinson, who now lives in Curtis, graduated from Yelm High School, lived in Grand Mound for a while and later spent 25 years in the Bonney Lake Area. He moved to Lewis County two to three years ago with his wife.
