George Clark, WWI Comanche Code Talker

In March, we wrote a story on Elliot's blog, Comanche National Museum to honor Code Talkers, about an upcoming exhibit at the Comanche National Museum. The exhibit tells the story of members of the Comanche Nation who served in WWI and WWII. Transmitting messages in the native tongue, these Native American patriots served their country and protected their fellow soldiers by speaking in a language the Germans were never able to understand.

Today, KSWO ran a story about one of the WWI Code Talkers, George Clark. On Thursday, Mr. Clark's nephew, Albert, donated a 48-star American flag that belonged to his uncle to the museum, which prompted the news coverage. The story tells the interesting history of Mr. Clark and his role in establishing the Code Talkers:

In 1918 George was one of only 4 Comanches to use their native tongue to send messages the enemy couldn't decode, but before The Great War.

[Albert:] "There were two or three Choctaw boys who were in the same outfit, sitting and talking to each other in their native tongue. An officer came by and heard them talking. The thought came to him that these boys talking in their native tongue, the Germans wouldn't be able to understand it." 

The Germans never did figure it out. Messages were never decoded in Choctaw or later in Comanche. Even though they couldn't vote until 1924, four World War I Comanche Code Talkers served their country and saved lives, and George Clark was one of them. The Germans tried to learn the language and actually sent spies to the United States to try to break the code. 

The story of Mr. Clark, one of the earliest Code Talkers, will be a great addition to the exhibit at the museum. Unfortunately, Elliot is no longer serving in Lawton, the home of the museum, so he own't have a chance to see the exhibit. It must be fascinating.

Enjoy the video report of the KSWO story.

Comanche National Museum to honor Code Talkers

The Comanche National Museum in Lawton will feature a terrific exhibit later this year highlighting the contribution of Comanche Code Talkers in World War II. Seventeen members of the Comanche Nation served as Code Talkers. They were fluent in the Comanche language and used that knowledge, along with the training they were given by the Army, to send critical messages that confused the enemy during World War II. They were recruited from Cache, Cement, Cyril, Fletcher, Indiahoma, Lawton and Walters.

The Code Talkers: Front Row, left to right: Roderick “Dick” Red Elk, Simmons Parker, Larry Saupitty, Melvin Permansu, Willie Yackeschi, 

Charles Chibitty and Willington Mihecoby.  Back Row, left to right: Morris Sunrise, Perry Noyebad, Ralph Wahnee, Haddon Codynah, 

Robert Holder, Albert Nahquaddy, Clifford Ototivo and Forrest Kassanavoid.  (not pictured: Elgin Red Elk and Anthony Tabbitite)

Here is a great description of the Code Talkers on their induction in the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame in November 2011:

The Comanche Nation Code Talkers served in the U. S. Army 4th Signal Company, 4th Infantry Division during World War II; they used their Comanche language, which the United States Government once had forbidden them to use, in radio transmissions that helped save the lives of thousands of Allied Soldiers. They served in combat from the D-Day, June 6, 1944, invasion of Normandy to the end of the World War II in Europe in May 1945. The 14 Comanche Code Talkers who served in the European Theater of Operations and are now deceased, were: Charles Joyce Chibitty; Haddon “Red” Codynah; Robert Holder; Forrest Kassanavoid;  Wellington “Mike” Mihecoby; Perry “Taxi” Noyobad; Clifford Ototivo, Sr.; Simmons Parker;  Melvin Permansu; Elgin Red Elk; Roderick Red Elk; Larry W. Saupitty; Morris “Sunrise” Tabbyyetchy, and Willis Wood Yackeschi. Two other Code Talkers did not serve overseas and one was sent back to the United States from England for medical reasons; Four Comanches served as Code Talkers during World War I with the 357th Infantry Regiment. In 2001, the U.S. Congress awarded the 14 Comanche Code Talkers of World War II and four Comanche Code Talkers of World War I the Congressional Gold Medal for their military service. The Code Talkers of World War II were awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with five Campaign Service Stars, American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal and the Knight of the Order of National Merit from the French Government.  Perry “Taxi” Noyobad was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart; Forrest Kassanavoid, Larry W. Saupitty, Willis Wood Yackeschi, and Roderick Red Elk were awarded the Purple Heart during the Korea War. Melvin Permansu and Roderick Red Elk received the Korean War Service Medal and United Nations Service Medal. In 1995 Charles Joyce Chibitty, then 78, was honored as the last surviving World War II Comanche U.S. Army Code Talker in the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.

Finally, here's a short news report from KSWO in Lawton about the upcoming exhibit: 

Happy birthday, Josephine Myers-Wapp

Josephine Myers-Wapp was born 100 years ago today, February 10, 1912, in Apache, Oklahoma. A resident of Lawton, Oklahoma, she is the oldest living member of the Comanche Nation. Her birthday was celebrated today at the Comanche Nation Elder Center in Lawton.

But Ms. Myers-Wapp is famous for much more than merely living a full century, in itself no small feat. From her biography on the Oklahoma Arts Council, we learn that she is an artist, a teacher, and an expert in Native American traditional art. Another source briefly recounts her life experience:

The turning point in her life came when the Bureau of Indian Affairs established an art education program at the Santa Fe Indian School, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, a curriculum was designed to educate American Indians as art teachers and place them in American Indian boarding schools. Mrs. Wapp entered the program, choosing fiber and traditional arts as her major areas of study.  After completing her education, she taught arts and crafts at Chilocco (Oklahoma) Indian School. In 1963, she joined the faculty at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, where she taught American Indian traditional arts and culture. Mrs. Wapp was involved in all aspects of arts including native dance. She helped coordinate a dance exhibition at the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City featuring IAIA students. She retired from teaching in 1973 to focus on creating traditional and contemporary Finger Weaving. Her creative work has been exhibited throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and the Middle East. She has received many awards for her artwork and teaching and has influenced thousands of people with her extraordinary talent.

In an interview conducted by a local news channel just before her birthday, Ms. Myers-Wapp said: "Art, we really can't live without art. I think art is into everything. What we wear, what we do. Everyday, it's almost in everyday life." The video of her interview is below, along with a couple of examples of her weaving. She is a true Oklahoma treasure.