'We never lost sight of who he was': OKC honors Captain Leroy Pitts on Veterans Day
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A mural dedicated to one of the first Black officer Medal of Honor recipients was unveiled Saturday at the northeast Oklahoma City park named after him.
Pitts Park was named after the Captain by city proclamation in 1975.
Now, the park is home to a mural of the distinguished soldier.
Captain Riley Leroy Pitts, born in Fallis, Oklahoma, posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1968 – making him one of the first Black-American officers to receive the nation’s highest military decoration.
Read more about his citation, here.
Captain Pitts was a career soldier in the US Army, assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division, according to the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame.
He was killed Oct. 31, 1967, near Ap Dong, Vietnam, just one month before he was scheduled to return home.
President Lyndon B. Johnson presented the medal to Pitts’ widow, Eula, and his son and daughter at the White House on December 10, 1968.
“He was a brave man, and leader of men. No greater thing could be said of any man. His valor under fire moved him forever into that select company where the heroes of our history stand,” said President Johnson during the commendation.
“His sacrifice was for us all. His countrymen, and all who live in freedom, will be indebted to him for all of freedom’s days," he added.
The National Medal of Honor Museum honoring recipients is set to open in Arlington, Texas, in in the future.