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"No greater thing could be said of any man" - Medal of Honor Recipient Riley Pitts
November 5th 2020
By Olde Delaware
With the result of the American election still in limbo and the fact that over 65 million Americans took a look at the last four years and said "we want more of that", I figured we could all use something to rally behind.
As President Bartlett would say, this is a time for American heroes. We still do have heroes that we can look up to, men and women and folks of countless genders, from all walks of life, all colors, all creeds, all sexualities. People we can look to, emulate and strive to live by their example. Often, before I log off for the night and leave Eurochat I do some reading. It's never a ton, its just something that helps me relax before I lay my head down to rest.
Tonight, instead of picking up my book on Omar Bradley I found myself drawn to the story of Riley Pitts.
Riley L. Pitts was born in Fallis Oklahoma. Today, a town of about 20 people. In his youth, he moved to Oklahoma City. He graduated from High School and went on to Wichita State University where he graduated with a degree in journalism in 1960 and from there joined the U.S. Army and became a commissioned officer. He married his college sweetheart, Eula and had two children, Stacie and Mark before being deployed to Vietnam in 1966 as an information officer.
On October 31st 1967, one month before he was scheduled to come home, Captain Pitts was transferred to a combat command. Pitts was assigned as Company Commander of 'C' Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment which was preparing to undertake an airmobile assault. Airmobile in this sense meaning flying aboard UH-1 Huey Helicopters, a staple of Vietnam movies, books and the like, landing and taking on infantry operations. The 27th Infantry Regiment was one of the Army's most distinguished regiments during Vietnam with five of its members being awarded the Medal of Honor.
The action that saw Captain Pitts make the ultimate sacrifice is known today as Tet Offensive Counterattack III (Jun 1967 - Jan 1968)
Caption: The above image shows the position of US/ARVN forces on 29 October 1967 during what would later become known as Operation Greeley, the prelude to the Battle of Dak To. Two days later, Captain Pitts would arrive in the area as reinforcement.
After his company landed in the area and began the 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.
At the time of his death, Captain Pitts had just two weeks prior celebrated his 30th birthday. He left behind a wife and two children in the states. At the time of his award, Pitts was the first African American commissioned officer to receive the Medal of Honor. His wife Eula received the medal of his behalf from President Johnson. The President eulogized Pitts by saying: "What this man did in an hour of incredible courage will live in the story of America as long as America endures - as he will live in the hearts and memories of those who loved him. He was a brave man and a leader of men. No greater thing could be said of any man."
His fellow soldiers agreed, in doing research I came across a quote from one of his former soldiers who said in part: "Captain Riley Leroy Pitts was a man of leadership and compassion. He truly cared for his men who he led into battle. A kindness he showed, whenever he spoke of his family. A proud and dedicated family man, but on the battlefield he was a true Warrior, and a fearless leader."
In this time of national crisis and overwhelming uncertainty, it helps to know that there are still leaders we can look up to. Captain Pitts may indeed be deceased but his fighting spirit, his leadership and his values still live on today as long as we remember them. When we bring stories like Captain Pitts' into the light once more, hate has no leg to stand on, no curse to utter, no place to hide.
Now, let me present the citation.
November 5th 2020
By Olde Delaware
With the result of the American election still in limbo and the fact that over 65 million Americans took a look at the last four years and said "we want more of that", I figured we could all use something to rally behind.
As President Bartlett would say, this is a time for American heroes. We still do have heroes that we can look up to, men and women and folks of countless genders, from all walks of life, all colors, all creeds, all sexualities. People we can look to, emulate and strive to live by their example. Often, before I log off for the night and leave Eurochat I do some reading. It's never a ton, its just something that helps me relax before I lay my head down to rest.
Tonight, instead of picking up my book on Omar Bradley I found myself drawn to the story of Riley Pitts.
Riley L. Pitts was born in Fallis Oklahoma. Today, a town of about 20 people. In his youth, he moved to Oklahoma City. He graduated from High School and went on to Wichita State University where he graduated with a degree in journalism in 1960 and from there joined the U.S. Army and became a commissioned officer. He married his college sweetheart, Eula and had two children, Stacie and Mark before being deployed to Vietnam in 1966 as an information officer.
On October 31st 1967, one month before he was scheduled to come home, Captain Pitts was transferred to a combat command. Pitts was assigned as Company Commander of 'C' Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment which was preparing to undertake an airmobile assault. Airmobile in this sense meaning flying aboard UH-1 Huey Helicopters, a staple of Vietnam movies, books and the like, landing and taking on infantry operations. The 27th Infantry Regiment was one of the Army's most distinguished regiments during Vietnam with five of its members being awarded the Medal of Honor.
The action that saw Captain Pitts make the ultimate sacrifice is known today as Tet Offensive Counterattack III (Jun 1967 - Jan 1968)
Caption: The above image shows the position of US/ARVN forces on 29 October 1967 during what would later become known as Operation Greeley, the prelude to the Battle of Dak To. Two days later, Captain Pitts would arrive in the area as reinforcement.
After his company landed in the area and began the 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.
At the time of his death, Captain Pitts had just two weeks prior celebrated his 30th birthday. He left behind a wife and two children in the states. At the time of his award, Pitts was the first African American commissioned officer to receive the Medal of Honor. His wife Eula received the medal of his behalf from President Johnson. The President eulogized Pitts by saying: "What this man did in an hour of incredible courage will live in the story of America as long as America endures - as he will live in the hearts and memories of those who loved him. He was a brave man and a leader of men. No greater thing could be said of any man."
His fellow soldiers agreed, in doing research I came across a quote from one of his former soldiers who said in part: "Captain Riley Leroy Pitts was a man of leadership and compassion. He truly cared for his men who he led into battle. A kindness he showed, whenever he spoke of his family. A proud and dedicated family man, but on the battlefield he was a true Warrior, and a fearless leader."
In this time of national crisis and overwhelming uncertainty, it helps to know that there are still leaders we can look up to. Captain Pitts may indeed be deceased but his fighting spirit, his leadership and his values still live on today as long as we remember them. When we bring stories like Captain Pitts' into the light once more, hate has no leg to stand on, no curse to utter, no place to hide.
Now, let me present the citation.
The President of the United States in the name of the Congress of the United States
takes pride in presenting the
MEDAL OF HONOR
posthumously to
RILEY LEROY PITTS
Captain
United States Army
CITATION:
Distinguishing himself by exceptional heroism while serving as company commander during an airmobile assault. Immediately after his company landed in the area, several Viet Cong opened fire with automatic weapons. Despite the enemy fire, CPT Pitts forcefully led an assault which overran the enemy positions. Shortly thereafter, CPT Pitts was ordered to move his unit to the north to reinforce another company heavily engaged against a strong enemy force. As CPT Pitts' company moved forward to engage the enemy, intense fire was received from three directions, including fire from four enemy bunkers, two of which were within 15 meters of CPT Pitts' position. The severity of the incoming fire prevented CPT Pitts from maneuvering his company. His rifle fire proving ineffective against the enemy due to the dense jungle foliage, he picked up an M-79 grenade launcher and began pinpointing the targets. Seizing a Chinese Communist grenade which had been taken from a captured Viet Cong's web gear, CPT Pitts lobbed the grenade at a bunker to his front, but it hit the dense jungle foliage and rebounded. Without hesitation, CPT Pitts threw himself on top of the grenade which, fortunately, failed to explode. CPT Pitts then directed the repositioning of the company to permit friendly artillery to be fired. Upon completion of the artillery fire mission, CPT Pitts again led his men toward the enemy positions, personally killing at least one more Viet Cong. The jungle growth still prevented effective fire to be placed on the enemy bunkers. CPT Pitts, displaying complete disregard for his life and personal safety, quickly moved to a position which permitted him to place effective fire on the enemy. He maintained a continuous fire, pinpointing the enemy's fortified positions, while at the same time directing and urging his men forward, until he was mortally wounded. CPT Pitts' conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the cost of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division and the United States Army.
