# Robert Sink

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United States Army general

Robert Sink Nickname "Bourbon Bob" Born (1905-04-03)3 April 1905 Lexington, North Carolina, U.S. Died 13 December 1965(1965-12-13) (aged 60) Fort Bragg, North Carolina, U.S. Buried Arlington National Cemetery Allegiance United States Branch United States Army Service years 1927–1961 Rank Lieutenant general Commands United States Caribbean Command Strategic Army Corps XVIII Airborne Corps 44th Infantry Division 7th Armored Division 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment 503rd Parachute Infantry Battalion Conflicts World War II Battle of Normandy Operation Market Garden Battle of the Bulge Western Allied invasion of Germany Korean War Awards Silver Star (3) Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star (2) Alma mater United States Military Academy Spouses Margaret Coe ​ ​ (m. 1932; died 1963)​ Grace Cannon ​ (m. 1964)​ Children 5

**Robert Frederick Sink** (3 April 1905 – 13 December 1965) was an American soldier who served as an officer in the [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army) from 1927 to 1961. His most notable command was of the [506th Parachute Infantry Regiment](/source/506th_Parachute_Infantry_Regiment) of the [101st Airborne Division](/source/101st_Airborne_Division) during [World War II](/source/World_War_II), which fought in [Operation Overlord](/source/Operation_Overlord), [Operation Market Garden](/source/Operation_Market_Garden), and the [Western Allied invasion of Germany](/source/Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany). He also served as an assistant [division](/source/Division_(military)) commander during the [Korean War](/source/Korean_War), and held an array of high-ranking staff positions until his retirement as a lieutenant general.

## Early life and education

Sink as a West Point cadet in 1927

Sink was born in [Lexington, North Carolina](/source/Lexington%2C_North_Carolina), to Frederick Obediah and Mary Wilson (Cecil) Sink. Frederick was the owner and publisher of *[The Dispatch](/source/The_Dispatch_(Lexington))* newspaper in Lexington. Sink entered Trinity College (now [Duke University](/source/Duke_University)) in 1922 before being appointed to the [United States Military Academy](/source/United_States_Military_Academy) at West Point in 1923. He graduated with a [Bachelor of Science](/source/Bachelor_of_Science) degree in 1927,[1] ranking 174th out of 203 cadets.[2]

## Career

### Early career

After graduation from West Point, Sink was commissioned as a [second lieutenant](/source/Second_lieutenant) and assigned to the [8th Infantry Regiment](/source/8th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)) at [Fort Screven](/source/Fort_Screven), Georgia.[2] Between 1929 and 1933, Sink was assigned to [Puerto Rico](/source/Puerto_Rico) (with the [65th Infantry Regiment](/source/65th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States))), the [Army Chemical Warfare School](/source/United_States_Army_CBRN_School), [Fort Meade](/source/Fort_Meade), the [34th Infantry Regiment](/source/34th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)), and the [Civilian Conservation Corps](/source/Civilian_Conservation_Corps) at [McAlevys Fort, Pennsylvania](/source/McAlevys_Fort%2C_Pennsylvania). In 1935, he trained at the [United States Army Infantry School](/source/United_States_Army_Infantry_School) at [Fort Benning](/source/Fort_Benning), Georgia. In November 1937, after assignment to the [57th Infantry Regiment](/source/57th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)) at [Fort William McKinley](/source/Fort_William_McKinley) in the Philippines, Captain Sink returned to the United States and was assigned to the [25th Infantry Regiment](/source/25th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)) at [Fort Huachuca](/source/Fort_Huachuca), Arizona, where he served as a [company](/source/Company_(military_unit)) commander and then as [regimental](/source/Regiment) operations officer.[3]

### World War II

In 1940, Sink joined the Army's fledgling [paratrooper](/source/Paratrooper) force and was assigned to the [501st Parachute Infantry Battalion](/source/501st_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)) at [Fort Benning](/source/Fort_Benning). Sink subsequently commanded the [503rd Parachute Infantry Battalion](/source/503rd_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)) before assuming command of the [506th Parachute Infantry Regiment](/source/506th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)) at [Camp Toccoa](/source/Camp_Toccoa), Georgia, in July 1942.[3] Sink was responsible for building the regiment's officer corps as well as the camp's obstacle courses.[4] In December 1942, Sink read in *[Reader's Digest](/source/Reader's_Digest)* about a Japanese army battalion that marched 100 miles (160 km) in 70 hours. Not to be outdone, he ordered the 2nd Battalion of the 506th to march from Camp Toccoa to [Atlanta](/source/Atlanta), covering 118 miles in 75 hours.[5] The regiment was attached to the [101st Airborne Division](/source/101st_Airborne_Division) on 1 June 1943 and arrived in England in September and was [billeted](/source/Billet) in the [Wiltshire](/source/Wiltshire) villages of [Aldbourne](/source/Aldbourne), [Chilton Foliat](/source/Chilton_Foliat), [Froxfield](/source/Froxfield), and [Ramsbury](/source/Ramsbury).[6][7]

On [D-Day](/source/D-Day), Sink parachuted into Normandy from the lead plane of the [439th Troop Carrier Group](/source/439th_Troop_Carrier_Group).[8] He commanded the 506th until the final month of World War II,[4] leading it through engagements on D-Day, the [Battle of Normandy](/source/Battle_of_Normandy), [Operation Market Garden](/source/Operation_Market_Garden), the [Battle of the Bulge](/source/Battle_of_the_Bulge) (including the [Siege of Bastogne](/source/Siege_of_Bastogne)), and the [invasion and occupation of Germany](/source/Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany). The regiment was sometimes called the "Five-Oh-Sink" after its leader.[9] Sink's drinking earned him the nickname "Bourbon Bob", but Major [Richard Winters](/source/Richard_Winters) said he believed it did not affect his leadership.[4]

### Later career

On 12 August 1945, Sink was named assistant division commander of the [101st Airborne Division](/source/101st_Airborne_Division). In January 1946, he assumed command of the infantry detachment of the United States Military Academy. He graduated from the [National War College](/source/National_War_College) in June 1949, and was transferred to the [Ryukyus Command](/source/United_States_Civil_Administration_of_the_Ryukyu_Islands) in Japan, becoming chief of staff in October 1949. In January 1951, he was promoted to brigadier general and named assistant division commander of the [7th Infantry Division](/source/7th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)) during the [Korean War](/source/Korean_War).[1][3]

In December 1951, Sink became assistant division commander of the [11th Airborne Division](/source/11th_Airborne_Division) at [Fort Campbell](/source/Fort_Campbell), Kentucky. In February 1953, he assumed command of the [7th Armored Division](/source/7th_Armored_Division_(United_States)) at [Camp Roberts, California](/source/Camp_Roberts%2C_California). In November 1953, Major General Sink became commanding general of the [44th Infantry Division](/source/44th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)) at [Fort Lewis](/source/Fort_Lewis_(Washington)), [Washington](/source/Washington_(state)). In October 1954, he was assigned to the [Joint Airborne Troop Board](/source/Joint_Airborne_Troop_Board) at [Fort Bragg](/source/Fort_Bragg), North Carolina. In early 1955, he was transferred to [Rio de Janeiro](/source/Rio_de_Janeiro), Brazil, 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](/source/Military_Assistance_Advisory_Group), Brazil.[1][3]

Sink assumed command of the [XVIII Airborne Corps](/source/XVIII_Airborne_Corps) and Fort Bragg in May 1957. In May 1958, he was appointed commander of [Strategic Army Corps](/source/Strategic_Army_Corps) (STRAC). His final assignment was as the commander of U.S. forces in Panama.[1][3] Sink retired at the rank of lieutenant general in 1961 due to declining health.[10]

## Personal life and death

Sink's headstone at Arlington National Cemetery

Sink married Margaret Elizabeth Coe in 1932. They had three children together before Margaret died in 1963. In 1964, Sink married Grace (Gall) Cannon and became step-father to her two children.[3]

Sink died of pulmonary [emphysema](/source/Emphysema) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on 13 December 1965, at the age of 60.[11] He was interred at [Arlington National Cemetery](/source/Arlington_National_Cemetery).[12]

## Legacy

General [Maxwell D. Taylor](/source/Maxwell_D._Taylor), commander of the 101st Airborne Division, said of Sink: "He was among the bravest, most able men I knew—exposed himself to enemy fire more than anyone in the division." Taylor said with regret that Sink deserved a wartime promotion, but the promotion of [Gerald J. Higgins](/source/Gerald_J._Higgins) to brigadier general as Taylor's assistant division commander after the death of [Don Pratt](/source/Don_Pratt) prevented any further promotions of colonels in the 101st.[8]

In his memoir *Beyond Band of Brothers*, Richard Winters wrote of his former commanding officer:

In short, Bob Sink was an extraordinarily talented officer who was the heart and soul of the 506th. He did things with a personal flair, and his southern drawl was full of home-spun sayings that endeared him to the regiment he led so gallantly beginning in July 1942. He always talked to his soldiers on a man-to-man basis. He gave us all a sense of "we." The 506th PIR was going to fight the war together, not as a series of independent battalions. To have been a member of the "Five-Oh-Sink" had been a badge of honor...How Colonel Sink welded a disparate group of citizen soldiers into a first-class fighting unit is a topic that merits a book of its own. The army had given him kids fresh off the streets. Many were undernourished and poorly educated...This was the kind of officer Sink was assigned and told to turn the group into a crack airborne unit. Colonel Sink straightened us out. He was the one who put it all together...In my opinion, our regimental commander was one of the finest West Point officers of the war.[9]

In the 1977 film *[A Bridge Too Far](/source/A_Bridge_Too_Far_(film))*, Robert Stout, the commander of the 506th PIR played by [Elliott Gould](/source/Elliott_Gould), is based on Sink.[13] Sink is also featured prominently in the 2001 [HBO](/source/HBO) miniseries *[Band of Brothers](/source/Band_of_Brothers_(miniseries))*, where he is played by [Dale Dye](/source/Dale_Dye).[14]

## Awards and decorations

Sources:[1][3]

Badge Master Parachutist Badge with two combat jump stars Badge Combat Infantryman Badge 1st row Silver Star with two oak leaf clusters Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster 2nd row Air Medal with oak leaf cluster American Defense Service Medal American Campaign Medal 3rd row European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 service stars and arrowhead device World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal with Germany and Japan clasps 4th row National Defense Service Medal Korean Service Medal United Nations Korea Medal 5th row Distinguished Service Order (Britain) Croix de Guerre with Palm (Belgium) Croix de Guerre with bronze Palm (France) 6th row Order of Leopold, Officer with Palm (Belgium) Bronze Lion (The Netherlands) Korean War Service Medal (South Korea) Unit awards Presidential Unit Citation with oak leaf cluster Presidential Unit Citation (South Korea)

## Dates of rank

Source:[3]

Insignia Rank Component Date Second lieutenant Regular Army 1927 First lieutenant Regular Army 1933 Captain Regular Army 1937 Major Army of the United States 1941 Lieutenant colonel Army of the United States 1942 Colonel Army of the United States 1942 Brigadier general Army of the United States 1951 Major general Army of the United States 1954 Lieutenant general Army of the United States 1959

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-who_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-who_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-who_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-who_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-who_1-4) [*Who Was Who in American History: The Military*](https://archive.org/details/whowaswhoinameri0000unse_a6j9/page/530/mode/2up). Chicago: [Marquis Who's Who](/source/Marquis_Who's_Who). 1975. p. 530. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-8379-3201-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8379-3201-7). Retrieved 29 December 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-cullum_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-cullum_2-1) [Cullum, George Washington](/source/George_Washington_Cullum) (1930). Donaldson, William H. (ed.). [*Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. From Its Establishment, in 1802, to 1890*](https://archive.org/details/biographicalregi0000unse/page/2074/mode/1up). Vol. VII: 1920–1930. Association of Graduates, [United States Military Academy](/source/United_States_Military_Academy). p. 2074. Retrieved 4 January 2023.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-downs_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-downs_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-downs_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-downs_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-downs_3-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-downs_3-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-downs_3-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-downs_3-7) Downs, Winfield Scott, ed. (1968). [*Encyclopedia of American Biography*](https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/118956/?offset=13#page=1020&viewer=picture&o=search&n=0). Vol. 37. Washington, D.C.: [American Historical Society](/source/American_Historical_Society). pp. 646–647. Retrieved 29 December 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-historynet_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-historynet_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-historynet_4-2) ["Dick Winters: Reflections From Major Winters of Easy Company"](https://www.historynet.com/dick-winters-reflections-on-the-band-of-brothers-d-day-and-leadership/). *[HistoryNet](/source/HistoryNet)*. 12 June 2006. Retrieved 29 December 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Ambrose, Stephen E. (1992). *Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest*. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 26–27. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-671-76922-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-671-76922-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["World War II 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment"](https://www.506infantry.org/page-18169). *506th Airborne Infantry Regiment Association*. Retrieved 29 December 2025. ...the 506th PIR was attached to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC, on June 1, 1943.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Rapport, Leonard; Northwood Jr., Arthur (1948). *Rendezvous with Destiny: A History of the 101st Airborne Division*. Greenville, Texas: 101st Airborne Division Association. p. 44.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-blair_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-blair_8-1) Blair, Clay (1985). [*Ridgway's Paratroopers: The American Airborne in World War II*](https://archive.org/details/ridgwaysparatroo00blai/page/220/mode/2up/). New York: The Dial Press. pp. 221–223. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-385-27888-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-385-27888-8). Retrieved 30 December 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-beyond_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-beyond_9-1) Winters, Dick; Kingseed, Cole C. (2006). *Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters*. New York: Berkley Caliber. p. 249. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-425-20813-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-425-20813-3).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-collection_10-0)** ["Robert Frederick Sink Papers"](https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/special/ead/findingaids/0255). [East Carolina University](/source/East_Carolina_University). Retrieved 30 December 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Gen. Sink Rites Held"](https://www.newspapers.com/image/621119966/). *[The Charlotte Observer](/source/The_Charlotte_Observer)*. [Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press). 16 December 1965. p. 20B. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20260114184814/https://www.newspapers.com/image/621119966/) from the original on 14 January 2026. Retrieved 29 December 2025. Sink, 60, pioneer paratroop officer who jumped into Normandy on D-Day, died Monday of pulmonary emphysema at a Ft. Bragg hospital.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-valor_12-0)** ["Robert Frederick Sink"](https://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient/recipient-84426/). *Hall of Valor*. [Military Times](/source/Military_Times). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20251107092541/https://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient/recipient-84426/) from the original on 7 November 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025. Cemetery: Arlington National Cemetery.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Ferreiro, Larrie D. (2023). [*Churchill's American Arsenal: The Partnership Behind the Innovations that Won World War Two*](https://www.google.com/books/edition/Churchill_s_American_Arsenal/1SZ_EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA272&printsec=frontcover). New York: [Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press). p. 272. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-755401-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-755401-2). Retrieved 30 December 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Dye, Dale (December 2020). ["Hollywood and the Military: A Q&A with Dale Dye"](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2020/december/hollywood-and-military-qa-dale-dye). *[Naval History](/source/Naval_History)*. Vol. 34, no. 6. Retrieved 30 December 2025.

Military offices Preceded by Ridgely Gaither Commander-in-Chief, United States Caribbean Command 1958–1960 Succeeded by Andrew P. O'Meara Preceded by Clark L. Ruffner Commanding General, Third United States Army 1960 Succeeded by Herbert B. Powell

v t e Band of Brothers Book Miniseries Units E Company, 506th Infantry Regiment 506th Infantry Regiment 101st Airborne Division Battles Invasion of Normandy Operation Market Garden Battle of the Bulge Invasion of Germany Personnel Albert Blithe Robert B. Brewer Lynn Compton Walter Gordon William Guarnere Edward Heffron Frederick Heyliger Carwood Lipton Donald Malarkey Salve H. Matheson Lewis Nixon Darrell Powers Edward Shames Robert Sink Herbert Sobel Ronald Speirs Edward Tipper Richard Winters David Kenyon Webster Robert Wynn Related We Who Are Alive and Remain Stephen Ambrose

Authority control databases International VIAF WorldCat National United States Other NARA

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Robert Sink](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sink) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sink?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.