109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4299
To authorize the President to present a gold medal on behalf of
the Congress to the Choctaw Code Talkers in recognition of their contributions
to the Nation, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 10, 2005
Mr. BOREN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Financial Services
A BILL
To authorize the President to present a gold medal on behalf of
the Congress to the Choctaw Code Talkers in recognition of their contributions
to the Nation, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Choctaw Code Talkers Recognition Act'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) On April 6, 1917, the United States, after extraordinary provocations,
declared war on Germany, thus the United States entered World War I, the
War to End All Wars.
(2) At the time of this declaration of war, Indian people in the United
States, including members of the Choctaw Nation, were not accorded the
status of citizens of the United States.
(3) Without regard to this lack of citizenship, many members of the Choctaw
Nation joined many members of other Indian tribes and nations in enlisting
in the Armed Forces to fight on behalf of their native land.
(4) Members of the Choctaw Nation were enlisted in the force known as
the American Expeditionary Force, which began hostile actions in France
in the fall of 1917, and specifically, members of the Choctaw Nation were
incorporated in a company of Indian enlistees serving in the 142d Infantry
Company of the 36th Division.
(5) A major impediment to Allied operations in general, and American operations
in particular, was the fact that the German forces had deciphered all
codes used for transmitting information between Allied commands, leading
to substantial loss of men and materiel during the first year of American
action.
(6) Because of the proximity and static nature of the battle lines, a
method to communicate without the knowledge of the enemy was needed.
(7) An American commander realized the fact that he had under his command
a number of men who spoke a native language. While the use of such native
languages was discouraged by the American Government, the commander sought
out and recruited 18 Choctaw Indians to use for transmission of field
telephone communications during an upcoming campaign.
(8) Because the language used by the Choctaw soldiers in the transmission
of information was not based on a European language or on a mathematical
progression, the Germans were unable to understand any of the transmissions.
(9) The Choctaw soldiers were placed in different command positions, to
achieve the widest possible area for communications.
(10) The use of the Choctaw Code Talkers was particularly important in
the movement of American soldiers in October of 1918 (including securing
forward and exposed positions), in the protection of supplies during American
action (including protecting gun emplacements from enemy shelling), and
in the preparation for the assault on German positions in the final stages
of combat operations in the fall of 1918.
(11) In the opinion of the officers involved, the use of Choctaw Indians
to transmit information in their native language saved men and munitions,
and was highly successful. Based on this successful experience, Choctaw
Indians were being withdrawn from frontline units for training in transmission
of codes so as to be more widely used when the war came to a halt.
(12) The Germans never succeeded in breaking the Choctaw code.
(13) This was the first time in modern warfare that such transmission
of messages in a native American language was used for the purpose of
confusing the enemy.
(14) This action by members of the Choctaw Nation is another example of
the commitment of American Indians to the defense of our great Nation
and adds to the proud legacy of such service.
(15) The Choctaw Nation has honored the actions of these 18 Choctaw Code
Talkers through a memorial bearing their names located at the entrance
of the tribal complex in Durant, Oklahoma.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized- To express recognition by the United States
of America and its citizens in honoring the Choctaw Code Talkers who distinguished
themselves in performing a unique, highly successful communications operation
that greatly assisted in saving countless lives and in hastening the end
of World War I, the President is authorized to present to each Choctaw Code
Talker, or a surviving family member of that Code Talker, on behalf of the
Congress, a gold medal of appropriate design honoring the Choctaw Code Talkers.
(b) Design and Striking- For the purposes of the presentations referred
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act
referred to as the `Secretary') shall strike gold medals with suitable emblems,
devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal
struck pursuant to section 3 under such regulations as the Secretary may
prescribe, and at a price sufficient to cover the costs thereof, including
labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and the
cost of the gold medal.
SEC. 5. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS.
The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes
of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 6. FUNDING.
(a) Authority to Use Fund Amounts- There is authorized to be charged against
the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund an amount not to exceed $30,000
to pay for the costs of the medals authorized by this Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sale- Amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze
medals under section 3 shall be deposited in the United States Mint Public
Enterprise Fund.
END
