21 November 2013

Tlingit Code Talkers Among Hundreds Honored by Congress

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -Nearly three dozen tribes across the U.S., including two in Southeast Alaska, have received the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow for their service as code talkers in World Wars I and II.
Picture from the linked article at ktuu.com
According to a statement from Alaska’s congressional delegation, 33 tribal groups -- including the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska -- were honored with Congressional Gold Medals in a Wednesday ceremony in Washington, D.C. Three Alaskan representatives of the group, Commander William “Ozzie” Sheakley, William Thomas Jr., and code talker descendant Jeff David Jr., were present. 

In addition to the gold medals awarded to the tribes, more than 200 Congressional Silver Medals were presented to code talkers and their families.“The critical role these men played in sparing the lives of fellow servicemen is remarkable,” [Alaska Representative Don] Young said. “By communicating in spoken code at places like Iwo Jima and Normandy, these fine men forever changed history. Because of them, we were able to relay real-time information on enemy positions, provide directions to troops on the ground, and gather intelligence that helped us end a dark time in the world’s history.”

Follow the link to see the whole article. 

7 comments:

Well Seasoned Fool said...

Interesting post. Thank you. The Navajos get most of the publicity, but there were several Native American tribes that had code talkers serving.

Old NFO said...

Agree with WSF... It was MORE than just the Navajos. And glad they are FINALLY being recognized!

Rev. Paul said...

WSF, you're welcome. The Alaska Territorial Guard, patrolling the Alaska Peninsula & Aleutian Islands, was mostly Natives, and has only been getting widespread attention in the last few years.

NFO, I concur.

Anonymous said...

VERY Cool!
I've encountered some of the Navajos here, in their American Legion garb, mallwalking.
I always thank them.

gfa

Rev. Paul said...

As well we all should, Guffaw. Thanks for the reminder.

Cathy said...

I read the word "Normandy" and get goose bumps.
God bless any and all that made that invasion successful. My dear dad was there. Bloody Omaha.

Rev. Paul said...

Cathy, I stand in awe of those who made that landing. Your dad has my respect & gratitude.