He served a distinguished and decorated career in the Army, which most notably included commanding the first black tank battalion to enter combat in World War II.

When the unit completed training in rigidly segregated boot camps in Louisiana and Texas, Bates refused a promotion from lieutenant colonel that would have separated him from what he regarded as one of the best tank battalions in the Army.

Robinson, who would go on to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball by signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers,[3] praised Bates in his autobiography for his fairness and good judgment.

The 761st entered combat in November 1944 as part of General George S. Patton's Third Army and fought for 183 consecutive days without relief, according to David Williams, a battalion veteran and the author of the novel Hit Hard.

The 761st inflicted thousands of casualties on the enemy and captured, destroyed or liberated more than 30 major towns, four airfields, three ammunition-supply dumps, 461 wheeled vehicles, 34 tanks, 113 large guns and a radio station.

Following his retirement, Colonel Bates remained in close touch with the veterans of the 761st and their families, attending yearly reunions and establishing a scholarship at McDaniel College for lineal descendants of the battalion members who served the unit from August 1944 through April 1945.