Published: October 03, 2008 03:06 pm      

Legislation to give Congressional Medals to Code Talkers passes both House and Senate

The Code Talker Recognition Act, legislation that will award Congressional Medals to Native American Code Talkers, is on the way to the Oval Office after passing both the House and Senate in the past few days. Gold medals will be given to each tribe having Code Talkers, and silver duplicate medals will be given to the individual Code Talkers, or a specified family member if that Code Talker is deceased.

“Congressman Dan Boren and Senator James Inhofe both deserve a lot of gratitude from Choctaws for their dedication to memorializing one of the greatest parts of our tribal history,” said Choctaw Chief Gregory E. Pyle.

Congressman Boren introduced and led passage of HR 4544 in the House of Representatives last week for the Code Talker Recognition Act.

Senator Inhofe introduced a Senate Bill that also honored the Code Talkers pushed for the passage of HR 4544 when it came to the Senate floor. Both of these leaders made sure that their staff and their peers helped meet the goal set forward by getting the legislation through the House and Senate.

Chief Pyle said, “The Choctaw Nation is also thankful to the other members of the House and Senate who co-sponsored and voted for this legislation. Most of all, thanks to the Choctaws and friends who rallied to the cause by contacting their representatives and senators with a request for co-sponsorship on HR 4544 and S 2681. This personal touch from people all over our country is what achieved success. This is the greatest example of teamwork I have seen.

“Congressman Boren has worked many hours on the passage of HR 4544. Boren’s dedication to the military heroes of our tribe is evident. Both Congressman Boren and Senator Inhofe are great Oklahomans and I am proud to know they were the sponsors of such historic legislation,” said Chief Pyle.

“The Choctaw people, especially descendants of the Code Talkers, are grateful to them both for this commemoration of a unique use of our language by 18 Choctaw soldiers.”

Chief Pyle continued, “I was confident that Senator Inhofe would remain vigilant in his effort to get the Code Talker Recognition Act passed in the Senate. We are now looking forward to the process of design, minting and presenting the medals.”

The bill awards the Congressional Gold Medal to Indian soldiers who used their languages to develop codes for the U.S. military. It identifies members of the Assiniboine, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chippewa/Oneida, Choctaw, Comanche, Cree, Crow, Hopi, Kiowa, Menominee, Meskwaki, Muscogee, Osage, Pawnee, Sac and Fox, Seminole, and Sioux tribes as potential recipients of the award.