2008 Woodie Awards
Meskwaki's fight for Congressional Medal
Bill Stewart
Issue date: 4/29/04 Section: News
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In July 2001 President George W. Bush awarded 29 Navajo Code Talkers the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award Congress bestows on civilians. Of the 29, 13 were killed in action and 11 had since died. Four of the five men were able to receive the award in person: Code Talkers John Brown Jr., Allen Dale June, Chester Nez, Lloyd Oliver. Joe Palmer was seriously ill and his family received the award on his behalf.
Native Americans have used their languages to help the Unites States win wars from the Revolutionary War onward. The first who were known as a code-talking unit were the Choctaw Code Talkers in World War I.
Scholars identified a score of other code-talking groups in wars since the 1900's, including: Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chippewa, Comanche, Dakota, Hopi, Kiowa, Lakota, Menominee, Muscogee, Oneida, Pawnee, Sac & Fox, Seminole and Yankton Sioux, reported The Indian Country Today.
"Military Commanders have credited Code Talkers [successes] in the battles of Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan and Okinawa," said Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M. His legislation authorized the Congressional Gold Medals for the 29 Code Talkers and 300 Silver Medals.
Robin Lee Roberts, a member of the Meskwaki tribe, has accepted the task of getting the names of the Meskwaki Code Talkers to be recognized by the U. S. Congress.
On April 7 the Iowa State Senate passed resolution 160 that states, "Honor the Meskwaki tribe members who served as Code Talkers in North Africa during World War II and to request that Congress and the President of the United States honor all Code Talkers who served in the Unites States armed forces."
"The Native American People, in spirituality, we are warriors. And if our country and our people are in danger, we feel that we should go and defend our country as well as our people and our way of life," said Roberts.
Of the eight members of the Meskwaki tribe who served in World War II, Frank Sanache is the only one living. The other seven include: Willard Sanache, Edward Benson, Judy Wayne Wabaunasee, Mile Wayne Wabaunasse, Dewey Roberts, Melvin Twin and Dewey Youngbear.