Jackie Robinson arrested for refusing to move to back of military bus

While awaiting results of hospital tests on his prior ankle injury from junior college, Robinson boarded an Army bus with a fellow black officer's wife; although the Army had commissioned its own unsegregated bus line, the bus driver, believing Robinson's companion was white, ordered Robinson to move to the back of the bus. Robinson refused. The driver backed down, but, after reaching the end of the line, summoned the Military Police, who took Robinson into custody. When Robinson later confronted the investigating duty officer about racist questioning by the officer and his assistant, the officer recommended that Robinson be court-martialed. After Robinson's commander in the 761st, Paul L. Bates, refused to authorize the legal action, Robinson was summarily transferred to the 758th Battalion – where the commander quickly consented to charge Robinson with insubordination, disturbing the peace, drunkenness (despite the fact that Robinson neither drank nor smoked), conduct unbecoming an officer, insulting a civilian woman, and refusing to obey the lawful orders of a superior officer.