I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 674

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 

FEBRUARY 11, 2003

Mr. CARSON of Oklahoma 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.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Choctaw Code Talkers 

5 Recognition Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 
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1 (1) On April 6, 1917, the United States, after 

2 extraordinary provocations, declared war on Ger3 many, thus the United States entered World War I, 

4 the War to End All Wars. 

5 (2) At the time of this declaration of war, In6 dian people in the United States, including members 

7 of the Choctaw Nation, were not accorded the status 

8 of citizens of the United States. 

9 (3) Without regard to this lack of citizenship, 

10 many members of the Choctaw Nation joined many 

11 members of other Indian tribes and nations in enlist12 ing in the Armed Forces to fight on behalf of their 

13 native land. 

14 (4) Members of the Choctaw Nation were en15 listed in the force known as the American Expedi16 tionary Force, which began hostile actions in France 

17 in the fall of 1917, and specifically, members of the 

18 Choctaw Nation were incorporated in a company of 

19 Indian enlistees serving in the 142d Infantry Com20 pany of the 36th Division. 

21 (5) A major impediment to Allied operations in 

22 general, and American operations in particular, was 

23 the fact that the German forces had deciphered all 

24 codes used for transmitting information between Al25 lied commands, leading to substantial loss of men 
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1 and materiel during the first year of American ac2 tion. 

3 (6) Because of the proximity and static nature 

4 of the battle lines, a method to communicate without 

5 the knowledge of the enemy was needed. 

6 (7) An American commander realized the fact 

7 that he had under his command a number of men 

8 who spoke a native language. While the use of such 

9 native languages was discouraged by the American 

10 Government, the commander sought out and re11 cruited 18 Choctaw Indians to use for transmission 

12 of field telephone communications during an upcom13 ing campaign. 

14 (8) Because the language used by the Choctaw 

15 soldiers in the transmission of information was not 

16 based on a European language or on a mathematical 

17 progression, the Germans were unable to understand 

18 any of the transmissions. 

19 (9) The Choctaw soldiers were placed in dif20 ferent command positions, to achieve the widest pos21 sible area for communications. 

22 (10) The use of the Choctaw Code Talkers was 

23 particularly important in the movement of American 

24 soldiers in October of 1918 (including securing for25 ward and exposed positions), in the protection of 
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1 supplies during American action (including pro2 tecting gun emplacements from enemy shelling), and 

3 in the preparation for the assault on German posi4 tions in the final stages of combat operations in the 

5 fall of 1918. 

6 (11) In the opinion of the officers involved, the 

7 use of Choctaw Indians to transmit information in 

8 their native language saved men and munitions, and 

9 was highly successful. Based on this successful expe10 rience, Choctaw Indians were being withdrawn from 

11 frontline units for training in transmission of codes 

12 so as to be more widely used when the war came to 

13 a halt. 

14 (12) The Germans never succeeded in breaking 

15 the Choctaw code. 

16 (13) This was the first time in modern warfare 

17 that such transmission of messages in a native 

18 American language was used for the purpose of con19 fusing the enemy. 

20 (14) This action by members of the Choctaw 

21 Nation is another example of the commitment of 

22 American Indians to the defense of our great Nation 

23 and adds to the proud legacy of such service. 

24 (15) The Choctaw Nation has honored the ac25 tions of these 18 Choctaw Code Talkers through a 
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1 memorial bearing their names located at the en2 trance of the tribal complex in Durant, Oklahoma. 

3 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

4 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—To express rec5 ognition by the United States of America and its citizens 

6 in honoring the Choctaw Code Talkers who distinguished 

7 themselves in performing a unique, highly successful com8 munications operation that greatly assisted in saving 

9 countless lives and in hastening the end of World War I, 

10 the President is authorized to present to each Choctaw 

11 Code Talker, or a surviving family member of that Code 

12 Talker, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal of appro13 priate design honoring the Choctaw Code Talkers. 

14 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 

15 presentations referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 

16 of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 

17 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike gold medals with suitable em18 blems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the 

19 Secretary. 

20 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

21 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

22 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 

23 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, 

24 and at a price sufficient to cover the costs thereof, includ-
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1 ing labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead 

2 expenses, and the cost of the gold medal. 

3 SEC. 5. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS. 

4 The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national 

5 medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United 

6 States Code. 

7 SEC. 6. FUNDING. 

8 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 

9 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

10 Public Enterprise Fund an amount not to exceed $30,000 

11 to pay for the costs of the medals authorized by this Act. 

12 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 

13 sale of duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be 

14 deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise 

15 Fund.

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