Choctaw Nation Code Talkers. Photo from Choctaw Code Talkers Association
Soldiers from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma used their language to transmit unbreakable codes during World War I and World War II. During WWI, 19 tribal members served in the Choctaw Telephone Squad. Their success was replicated in WWII, when other Native languages were used. "Code talking was an idea that was copied over and over but it may never have happened had it not been for the Choctaw," Nuchi Nashoba, the president of the Choctaw Code Talkers Association, told BBC News. "They were the original code talkers and that will always be a source of immense pride to our tribe." The Choctaw Nation received a Congressional Gold Medal under the Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008. Get the Story:
World War One: The original code talkers (BBC 5/18)
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