Jim Inhofe: “during World War II, Native Americans heard the call of their country and enlisted in the Armed Services in…”

“during World War II, Native Americans heard the call of their country and enlisted in the Armed Services in unprecedented numbers. Many of these brave men performed the role of code talkers, using a code language derived from a variety of American Indian languages to ensure secure and rapid communication of information on the battlefield. Through three wars and five decades, enemy forces were never able to break the U.S. code language thanks to the service and ingenuity of Native American code talkers. These patriots provided an invaluable service to the United States and our allies and deserve recognition for their bravery. Until 1968, information related to the code talker's activities during both World Wars remained classified by the Department of Defense. The postponement in learning about the essential role of Native American Code Talkers has resulted in delayed recognition of these war heroes. The first step in recognizing these men came in 2000 when President Bush signed into law legislation authorizing Congress to award gold medals to the 29 Navajo code talkers as well as a silver medal to each man who later qualified as a Navajo code talker. While this legislation was a step in the right direction, it failed to recognize a number of Native Americans who also served as code talkers but were not members of the Navajo Nation. During the first World War, Choctaw code talkers served with distinction in France.…”