Jackie Robinson was honorably discharged from the Army after refusing to move to the back of a segregated bus.

Famous Figures

F ive years before he broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, Jackie Robinson was drafted into the military. He received his notice on April 3, 1942, just a few months after the attack on Pearl Harbor propelled the United States into World War II. He joined an all-Black unit stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, and was later transferred to Fort Hood, Texas. There, racial segregation was strictly enforced despite Executive Order 8802, which was issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to ban discriminatory practices in federal agencies and organizations contributing to the war effort.

This ban was put to the test on July 6, 1944, when Robinson refused to move to the back of a bus in Fort Hood. He faced six charges at a subsequent court-martial, which he believed was racially motivated. In his autobiography, Robinson wrote that his lawyer "summed up the case beautifully by telling the board that this was not a case involving any violation of the Articles of War, or even of military tradition, but simply a situation in which a few individuals sought to vent their bigotry on a Negro they considered 'uppity' because he had the audacity to exercise rights that belonged to him as an American and a soldier."

The nine combat officers who comprised the court acquitted Robinson of all charges. The ballplayer received an honorable discharge four months later.

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By the Numbers

Robinson's career batting average

.313

Most Valuable Player award won by Robinson (in 1949)

Did you know?

Jackie Robinson's jersey number was retired by Major League Baseball.

One of the greatest honors a baseball player can receive is to have their jersey number retired by their team — a tribute reserved for true legends. The Yankees have retired the most numbers (22), while the Red Sox have retired only 11 since the team's founding in 1901. But only one player has had his number retired by the entire league: Jackie Robinson, who wore No. 42 throughout his 10 seasons in the majors, all of them with the Dodgers. At a ceremony before Robinson's former team played the Mets on April 15, 1997, 25 years after the Hall of Famer's death at the age of 53, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig declared that no player would wear the number again. Players already donning No. 42 at the time were allowed to continue, the last of whom, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, retired in 2013.