Paul Bates

Birth: Mar. 4, 1908 Death: Feb. 21, 1995 United States Army Officer. He was the white Colonel who refused to court martial future Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson. Colonel Bates was the commander of the first black tank battalion to go into battle in World War II. At a segregated boot camp in Texas, he refused to court martial a black officer for refusing to move to the back of a bus at Fort Hood. That officer was Jackie Robinson, who was tried for insubordination, acquitted, and went on to break the color barrier in major league baseball by signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Search Amazon for Paul Bates Burial: Arlington National Cemetery Arlington Arlington County Virginia, USA Plot: Section 60, Lot 6101, Map grid KK 22.5 Edit Virtual Cemetery info [?] Maintained by: Find A Grave Record added: Sep 13, 2000 Find A Grave Memorial# 12532