Robert Frederick Sink (3 April 1905 – 13 December 1965) was a senior

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officer who fought during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, though he was most famous for his command of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division (military), division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault military operation, operations. The 101st is designed to plan, coordinat ...

, throughout most of World War II, in

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the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Early career

Sink attended

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

(then known as Trinity College) for one year before securing an appointment to the United States Military Academy. He graduated 174th in West Point's 203-member class of 1927 (Cullum Number 8196). Commissioned as an Infantry officer, Second Lieutenant Sink was assigned to the 8th Infantry Regiment in

Fort Screven Tybee Island ( ) is a city and a barrier island in Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, 18 miles (29 km) east of Savannah, Georgia, Savannah. The name is used for both the city and the island, but geograph ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Sink later took assignments in

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(1929, 65th Infantry Regiment), at the Army Chemical Warfare School (1932), at

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(1932), 34th Infantry Regiment, with the

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(1933) at McAlevys Fort, Pennsylvania, and returned to the 34th Infantry Regiment before heading off to attend the

United States Army Infantry School The United States Army Infantry School is a school located at Fort Benning, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia that is dedicated to training Infantry Branch (United States), infantrymen for service in the United States Army. Organization The school ...

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(1935). In November 1937, after assignment to the 57th Infantry Regiment at Fort William McKinley in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, Sink returned to the United States and was assigned to the 25th Infantry Regiment at Fort Huachuca,

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, where he served as

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

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and then as

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al operations officer.

World War II

In 1940, Sink was assigned to the 501st Parachute Infantry Battalion at

. He became one of the four percent of the army's paratroopers qualified as a master parachutist and celebrated his birthday each year by making another jump. Sink later commanded the 503rd Parachute Infantry Battalion and (later) Regiment. In July 1942, he was named as

of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Camp Toccoa,

;

; and

Fort Bragg, North Carolina Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

. Sink commanded the 506th throughout World War II, turning down two promotions during the war to remain with the unit. (The regiment was sometimes referred to as the "Five-Oh-Sink".) He closely monitored and sponsored the career of Major Richard Winters. He made two combat jumps in command of the 506th ( D-Day and Operation Market Garden), and commanded the regiment at Bastogne during the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

Postwar career

On 12 August 1945, Sink was named assistant division commander of the

. In December 1945, Sink returned to the United States, and the following month assumed command of the infantry detachment of the United States Military Academy. He entered the National War College at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C. in August 1948, graduating in June 1949. Sink then was transferred to the Ryukyus Command, and became

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

in October 1949. In January 1951, he was named assistant division commander of the 7th Infantry Division in

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

. Sink returned to the United States and became assistant division commander of the 11th Airborne Division at Fort Campbell,

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, in December 1951. In February 1953, he assumed command at the 7th Armored Division at Camp Roberts, California. In November 1953, he became commanding general of the 44th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington. In October 1954, Sink was assigned to the Joint Airborne Troop Board at

. In early 1955, he was transferred to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, and in April 1955 assumed the dual functions of chairman of the United States Delegation to the Joint Brazil-United States Military Commission and chief of army section, Military Assistance Advisory Group,

Sink returned to the United States and assumed command of the XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg in May 1957. In May 1958, he was announced as commander, Strategic Army Corps (STRAC),

. His last major role was as commander of U.S. forces in

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

(CinC, Caribbean Command, Quarry Heights, Canal Zone), a post he held until his retirement in 1961 due to poor health. Sink retired in 1961 as a lieutenant general. He died at Fort Bragg in December 1965 of pulmonary

emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

and was interred in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

. Sink was married and had three children.

Awards and decorations

Dates of rank

United States Military Academy

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

– Class of 1927

Legacy

*LTC Robert F. Sink Library at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was dedicated in 1967. *COL. Robert Sink Memorial Trail up Currahee Mountain in Toccoa, Georgia, was dedicated on 4 November 2000.

In popular culture

*Robert Sink was portrayed in the

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'' Band of Brothers'' (2001) by

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veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

and retired U.S. Marine Corps

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Dale Dye (also the

military advisor Military advisors or combat advisors are military Military personnel, personnel deployed to advise on military matters. The term is often used for soldiers sent to foreign countries to aid such countries' militaries with their military education ...

on the series). *Robert Sink was also portrayed in the video game '' Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway'', also played by Dale Dye. *Elliot Gould portrayed Col Robert Stout, a character based on Col Sink, in the 1977 film “A Bridge Too Far”.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sink, Robert 1905 births 1965 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II Band of Brothers characters Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Sciences alumni United States Army Infantry Branch personnel People from Lexington, North Carolina American recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Silver Star Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Bronze Lion Military personnel from North Carolina United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery