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DoD Honors Last Comanche World War II ‘Code Talker’
Friday, November 30, 2001

By Rudi Williams
American Forces Press Service

Arthur L. Money presents Charles Chibitty with a cased American flag that was flown over the capitol during ceremonies in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes. The 78- year-old Chibitty is the last surviving World War II Army Comanche "code talker." Money is the assistant secretary of defense for command, control, communications, and intelligence.
Photo Credit: SSG Robert Broils, USA.

Choctaw Indians were used as code talkers during World War I.

WASHINGTON
Charles Chibitty, 78, was honored here Nov. 30 as the last surviving World War II Army Comanche "code talker" during an emotional ceremony in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes.

The ceremony was punctuated by thundering drumbeats echoing through the Pentagon corridor and "vocables" of joy and sadness. "Vocables" are sounds replacing words so singers of various Native American tribes can sing together.

Chibitty received the Knowlton Award, created by the Military Intelligence Corps Association in 1995 to recognize significant contributions to military intelligence efforts. The award is named in honor of Revolutionary War Army Lt. Col. Thomas Knowlton.

Arthur L. Money, assistant secretary of defense for command, control, communications, and intelligence, presented Chibitty the award in recognition of the role he and 16 other Comanche Indians played in cloaking military messages on the battlefields of Europe. The Comanches frustrated enemy code breakers by translating Army messages into their native language. The enemy never broke the code.
(More: DefenseLink.Mil News Source)
2001 © American Forces Press Service.

Sadly, I don’t have a date for this one. The article states November 30, but I noticed the page yesterday, so I don’t think it was this year, but it was after 1998, and the related links show last updates to be 1999.

Dan