Riley L. Pitts

Riley Leroy Pitts
U.S. Army Captain Riley L. Pitts
Born	(1937-10-15)October 15, 1937 Fallis, Oklahoma
Died	October 31, 1967(1967-10-31) (aged 30) Ap Dong, Vietnam
Place of burial	Hillcrest Memory Gardens Spencer, Oklahoma
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1960 - 1967
Rank	Captain
Commands held	C Company, 2d Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment 25th Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War †
Awards	Medal of Honor Silver Star Purple Heart Combat Infantry Badge Parachutist Badge

Riley Leroy Pitts (October 15, 1937 – October 31, 1967) was a United States Army Captain and the first African-American commissioned officer to receive the Medal of Honor. The medal was presented posthumously by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson on December 10, 1968 for actions in Ap Dong, South Vietnam.

Riley Leroy Pitts was born in Fallis, Oklahoma. He attended Wichita State University and graduated in 1960 with a degree in Journalism. Pitts married Mrs. Eula Pitts and had a daughter, Stacie, and a son, Mark, while employed with the Boeing Corporation. After being commissioned as an officer in the Army, he was sent to Vietnam in December 1966. Pitts had seven years of service in the Army.

In Vietnam, Pitts served as an information officer until he was transferred to a combat unit. As a Captain, he then served as commander of C Company "Wolfhounds", 2d Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment. On October 31, 1967, just one month before he was to be rotated back home, his unit was called upon to reinforce another company heavily engaged against a strong enemy force.

After his company landed in an airmobile assault, several Viet Cong opened fire with automatic weapons. Captain Pitts led an assault which overran the enemy positions and was then ordered to move north to reinforce another company engaged against a strong enemy force. As his company moved forward intense fire was received from three directions, including four bunkers, two of which were within 15 meters of his position. His rifle fire proving ineffective against the enemy due to the dense foliage, Pitts picked up an M79 grenade launcher and began pinpointing the targets. Seizing a grenade taken from a captured Viet Cong's web gear, he lobbed it at a bunker to his front but it hit the foliage and rebounded. Without hesitation, Pitts threw himself on top of the grenade which, fortunately, failed to explode. He then directed the repositioning of the company to permit friendly artillery to be fired. Upon completion of the fire mission, he again led his men toward the enemy positions, personally killing at least one more Viet Cong. Displaying complete disregard for his personal safety, he maintained continuous fire, pinpointing the enemy's fortified positions, while at the same time directing and urging his men forward, until he was mortally wounded