American Indian ‘Code Talker’ Medals Become Law
Legislation honoring Native American Indian ‘Code Talkers’ with medals was signed into law Wednesday, October 15, by President Bush.
H.R. 4544, or the Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008, honors Indian soldiers who used their languages to develop codes for the U.S. military during World Wars I and II.
The act authorizes the recognition of every Code Talker with a Congressional Gold Medal for their tribe and individually with a silver medal duplicate. Bronze medal duplicates will be available to the public through the United States Mint.
The legislation identifies members of the Assiniboine, Chippewa and Oneida, Choctaw, Comanche, Cree, Crow, Hopi, Kiowa, Menominee, Mississauga, Muscogee, Sac and Fox, and Sioux tribes as potential recipients of the award.
