Hometown: Hotulka, OK
Branch: U.S. Army
Unit: Company A, 761st Tank Battalion, 26th Infantry Division
Military Honors: Medal of Honor, Silver Star, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: November 19, 1944 - KIA in Guébling, France
Age: 25
Conflict: World War II, 1939-1945

Ruben Rivers was one of 11 children who worked his family’s farm in Hotulka, Oklahoma. Born to Willie and Lillian Rivers in nearby Tecumseh on October 13, 1918, Rivers graduated high school in 1938, then went to work for the local railroad and later moved to Oklahoma City.

Drafted into the U.S. Army in January of 1942, Rivers—half-black, half-Cherokee—was assigned to a newly-formed all-black 761st Tank Battalion at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. At the time, the U.S. military was strictly segregated by race. Unlike most black Americans in the military—who were limited to menial duties—soldiers of the 761st would train for combat.

The unit came to be known as the “Black Panthers” and was moved for more training to Camp Hood (now Fort Hood), Texas—deep in the Jim Crow South. The National World War II Museum describes one incident that shows the discrimination and restrictions faced by black service members, and by the 761st:

First Lieutenant Jack Roosevelt Robinson of the 761st, an athlete who would become one of the greatest baseball players of all time, lost his chance to see combat when he refused to move to the back of a segregated military bus.

“Jackie” Robinson would later break the color barrier in baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming a pioneer in the integration of professional sports.

The 761st Black Panthers Tank Battalion adopted the motto “Come Out Fighting,” and soon earned a reputation as one of the best units in stateside service. Based on that reputation, Gen. Goerge S. Patton requested the unit for his 3rd Army in Europe, where they joined the 26th Infantry Division in October of 1944.

Ruben Rivers achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant and was given command of a tank platoon when the unit deployed.

When the 761st landed at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France on October 10, 1944 (four months after the D-Day invasion), they knew they were being watched closely and had many doubters back home. They were met with a pep talk by Gen. Patton: “I would never have asked for you if you weren’t good. I have nothing but the best in my Army…Everyone has their eyes on you and is expecting great things from you.”

It didn’t take long for the Black Panthers to prove their combat readiness. In one incident, SSG Rivers came up to a German roadblock that forced his tank to stop. Under heavy German fire, he left the safety of his Sherman tank and attached a cable to the obstacle, pulling it off the road and allowing his tank column to advance and take the town. Rivers’ courage under fire would earn him a Silver Star Medal.

Days later, SSG Rivers’ courage would again be on display. His actions would earn him the nation’s highest military honor—the Congressional Medal of Honor. His citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: Staff Sergeant Rivers distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action during 16-19 November 1944, while serving with Company A, 761st Tank Battalion. On 16 November 1944, while advancing toward the town of Guebling, France, Staff Sergeant Rivers’ tank hit a mine at a railroad crossing. Although severely wounded, his leg slashed to the bone, Staff Sergeant Rivers declined an injection of morphine, refused to be evacuated, took command of another tank, and advanced with his company into Guebling the next day. Repeatedly refusing evacuation, Staff Sergeant Rivers continued to direct his tank’s fire at enemy positions beyond the town through the morning of 19 November 1944. At dawn that day, Company A’s tanks advanced toward Bourgaltoff, their next objective, but were stopped by enemy fire. Captain David J. Williams, the Company Commander, ordered his tanks to withdraw and take cover. Staff Sergeant Rivers, however, radioed that he had spotted the German antitank positions: “I see ‘em. We’ll fight ‘em!” Staff Sergeant Rivers, joined by another Company A tank, opened fire on enemy tanks, covering Company A as they withdrew. While doing so, Staff Sergeant Rivers’ tank was hit, killing him and wounding the rest of the crew. Staff Sergeant Rivers’ fighting spirit and daring leadership were an inspiration to his unit and exemplify the highest traditions of military service.

It would take 53 years for SSG Rivers to be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. On January 13, 1997, President William J. Clinton presented the award to Rivers’ sister, Grace Woodfolk.

Staff Sergeant Ruben Rivers was laid to rest among his fellow soldiers on the battlefields of France, at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Avold.

Sources
Congressional Medal of Honor Society: Ruben Rivers
National Parks Service: Ruben Rivers
The National WWII Museum: Platoon Sergeant Ruben Rivers and the 761st Tank Battalion
VA News: Army Veteran Ruben Rivers
Traces of War: Rivers, Ruben
The National World War II Museum: The Black Panthers Enter Combat: The 761st Tank Battalion
Military Hall of Honor: SSG Ruben Rivers
Burial Site: Find a Grave