Captain Riley Leroy Pitts, A Soldier's Story
Captain Riley Leroy Pitts, A Soldier's Story
Captain Riley Leroy Pitts was born on October 15, 1937, in Fallis, Oklahoma. He later attended Wichita State University, where he earned a degree in journalism. After graduation, he briefly worked for the Boeing Corporation before answering the call to military service.
Commissioned as an officer in the United States Army, Pitts initially served as an information officer. Wanting to be closer to the front lines, he transferred to a combat assignment and was ultimately placed in command of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division during the Vietnam War.
On October 31, 1967, while conducting operations near Ap Dong in the Republic of Vietnam, Captain Pitts moved to assist another company that had come under heavy enemy fire. Confronted by a well-fortified and numerically superior opposing force, he led a determined assault against entrenched positions.
Exposing himself repeatedly to enemy fire, Pitts directed his men forward and engaged the enemy at close range. During the intense fighting, a grenade rebounded near him; he threw himself toward it, prepared to shield his soldiers, but it failed to detonate. Severely wounded yet continuing to fire his weapon and rally his troops, Captain Pitts pressed the attack until he was mortally wounded.
For extraordinary heroism, indomitable courage, and selfless devotion to his men, Captain Riley Leroy Pitts was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He became the first African American commissioned officer in United States history to receive the nation’s highest military decoration.
Captain Pitts is buried at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Spencer, Oklahoma.
His Medal of Honor citation records what history confirms: he did not retreat, he did not falter, and he did not abandon his soldiers. He led from the front, and he gave everything
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
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