against the racial bias of the time. Over the years, Captain Williams, Robert Rivers, and other concerned citizens fought to get several Black soldiers recognized for their valor during the war. In 1992 the secretary of the army commissioned a study by Shaw University to examine why no Black soldiers had been awarded the Medal of Honor. The study concluded that racial bias had been a factor and recommended ten veterans for the award. The Senior Army Decorations Board reviewed the list and approved seven of the names to be awarded the Medal of Honor. The names were then submitted to President Bill Clinton for final approval. After Congress acted to waive the statutory limit of 1952 for veterans receiving World War II medals and Senator James M. Inhofe introduced Senate Resolution 230 on February 29, 1996, urging the president to accept the recommendations of the Senior Army Decorations Board, seven Black soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor, six posthumously. On January 13, 1997, President Clinton presented Ruben’s Medal of Honor to his sister, Grace Woodfork. Since then, a road in Hotulka that leads to the old schoolhouse where Ruben attended elementary school, a section of Oklahoma SH-9/US 270 running through Pottawatomie County, and other landmarks have been named in honor of Staff Sergeant Rivers. He is buried in the Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold, France. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame in 2006. Member FDIC