June 23, 2002

Washington, D.C.-Any great general would tell you that battles turn as much on information, or on secrecy, as on pure military might. If you know what your enemy is planning, you have a good chance to stop it.

In both the First and Second World Wars, our enemies attempted to crack our communications to intercept our military plans. But many of those attempts were foiled because of the actions of a brave group of Native American soldiers.

These soldiers, called "code talkers," possessed a valuable military asset: the native language of their tribes. Unlike the majority of allied troops whose languages were of European origin, Native American languages were unfamiliar to Germans, Italians, or Japanese, and thus unbreakable by the enemy.

The code talkers used their unique tribal languages to transmit strategic messages over field radios, field telephones, or occasionally, written messages. Their efforts turned the tide of many battles and saved the lives of thousands of allied troops.

This week Congress passed a resolution to honor these distinguished Native Americans with the Congressional Gold Medal. H.R. 3250, the "Code Talkers Recognition Act," recognizes all code talkers for their unique and valiant efforts during the First and Second World Wars.

The success of the code talkers, in fact, prevented formal recognition of their efforts for many years. Their mission remained classified long after the World Wars because the military thought the code might be useful in other conflicts. Now the U.S. government rightly honors their efforts, and the stories of the code talkers will be forever ingrained into history.

During World War I, members of the Choctaw tribe became the original code talkers. While advancing upon German troops, Americans captured German communication lines and converted them for their own use. Knowing the Germans broke the American radio codes and tapped telephone lines, the Choctaw members of the troops transmitted messages in their dialect. The tactic was a success and the Germans were never able to interpret the code.

In World War II, Comanche code talkers used their own language to relay messages during the Normandy invasion. Because the Comanche language didn't have words for some military terms, these code talkers would use other Comanche phrases for their message, such as the Comanche phrase for "pregnant airplane" for a bomber. The Comanche were so successful in confounding the German army, that German spies tried without success to infiltrate their training grounds in the U.S. to decipher the code.

These are only some of the remarkable stories of the code talkers. They were brave and unique men, as Native Americans protecting their native customs, traditions, language, and as soldiers protecting all American interests. I am proud to be a member of the Congress that formally recognized these servicemen for their contribution to our history and our vitality.