I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4544 
To require the issuance of medals to recognize the dedication and valor 
of Native American code talkers. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 13, 2007 
Mr. BOREN (for himself, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. 
PERLMUTTER, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. GUTIER-
REZ, Mr. KIND, Mr. BARROW, Mr. BOSWELL, Mrs. BOYDA of Kansas, 
Mr. COLE of Oklahoma, Mr. JONES of North Carolina, Mr. YOUNG of 
Alaska, Mr. GILCHREST, Ms. FALLIN, Mr. SHULER, Mrs. MALONEY of 
New York, Mr. BRADY of Texas, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. 
ABERCROMBIE, and Mr. LUCAS) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the 
Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the issuance of medals to recognize the dedication 
and valor of Native American code talkers. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Code Talkers Recogni-
tion Act of 2007’’. 
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SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to require the issuance 
of medals to express the sense of the Congress that— 
(1) the service of Native American code talkers 
to the United States deserves immediate recognition 
for dedication and valor; and 
(2) honoring Native American code talkers is 
long overdue. 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds that— 
(1) when the United States entered World War 
I, Native Americans were not accorded the status of 
citizens of the United States; 
(2) without regard to that lack of citizenship, 
members of Indian tribes and nations enlisted in the 
Armed Forces to fight on behalf of the United 
States; 
(3) the first reported use of Native American 
code talkers was on October 17, 1918; 
(4)(A) during World War I, Choctaw code talk-
ers were the first code talkers who played a role in 
United States military operations by transmitting 
vital communications that helped defeat German 
forces in Europe; 
(B) because the language used by the Choctaw 
code talkers in the transmission of information was 
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not based on a European language or on a mathe-
matical progression, the Germans were unable to un-
derstand any of the transmissions; 
(C) this was the first time in modern warfare 
that such a transmission of messages in a native 
language was used for the purpose of confusing an 
enemy; 
(5) on December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl 
Harbor, Hawaii, and the Congress declared war the 
following day; 
(6)(A) the Federal Government called on the 
Comanche Nation to support the military effort dur-
ing World War II by recruiting and enlisting Co-
manche men to serve in the Army to develop a secret 
code based on the Comanche language; 
(B) the Army recruited approximately 50 Na-
tive Americans for special native language commu-
nication assignments; and 
(C) the Marines recruited several hundred Nav-
ajos for duty in the Pacific region; 
(7)(A) during World War II, the United States 
employed Native American code talkers who devel-
oped secret means of communication based on native 
languages and were critical to winning the war; and 
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(B) to the frustration of the enemies of the 
United States, the code developed by the Native 
American code talkers proved to be unbreakable and 
was used extensively throughout the European the-
ater; 
(8) in 2001, the Congress and President Bush 
honored Navajo code talkers with congressional gold 
medals for the contributions of the code talkers to 
the United States Armed Forces as radio operators 
during World War II; 
(9) soldiers from the Assiniboine, Cherokee, 
Cheyenne, Chippewa/Oneida, Choctaw, Comanche, 
Cree, Crow, Hopi, Kiowa, Menominee, Meskwaki, 
Mississauga, Muscogee, Osage, Pawnee, Sac and 
Fox, Seminole, and Sioux (Lakota and Dakota) In-
dian tribes and nations also served as code talkers 
during World War II; 
(10) the heroic and dramatic contributions of 
Native American code talkers were instrumental in 
driving back Axis forces across the Pacific during 
World War II; and 
(11) the Congress should provide to all Native 
American code talkers the recognition the code talk-
ers deserve for the contributions of the code talkers 
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to United States victories in World War I and World 
War II. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act, the following definitions shall apply: 
(1) CODE
TALKER.—The term ‘‘code talker’’ 
means a Native American who— 
(A) served in the Armed Forces during a 
foreign conflict in which the United States was 
involved; and 
(B) during the term of service of the Na-
tive American, participated in communication 
using a native language. 
(2) RECOGNIZED
TRIBE.—The term ‘‘recog-
nized tribe’’ means any of the following Indian tribes 
(as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Deter-
mination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 
450b)): 
(A) Assiniboine. 
(B) Chippewa and Oneida. 
(C) Choctaw. 
(D) Comanche. 
(E) Cree. 
(F) Crow. 
(G) Hopi. 
(H) Kiowa. 
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(I) Menominee. 
(J) Mississauga. 
(K) Muscogee. 
(L) Sac and Fox. 
(M) Sioux. 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Treasury. 
SEC. 5. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS. 
(a) AWARD AUTHORIZATION.—The Speaker of the 
House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 
of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 
award, on behalf of the Congress, of gold medals of appro-
priate design in recognition of the service of Native Amer-
ican code talkers of each recognized tribe. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall strike 
the gold medals awarded under subsection (a) with 
appropriate emblems, devices, and inscriptions, as 
determined by the Secretary. 
(2) DESIGNS
OF
MEDALS
EMBLEMATIC
OF 
TRIBAL AFFILIATION AND PARTICIPATION.—The de-
sign of a gold medal under paragraph (1) shall be 
emblematic of the participation of the code talkers 
of each recognized tribe. 
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(3) TREATMENT.—Each medal struck pursuant 
to this subsection shall be considered to be a na-
tional medal for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, 
United States Code. 
(c) ACTION
BY SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.—The 
Smithsonian Institution— 
(1) shall accept and maintain such gold medals, 
and such silver duplicates of those medals, as recog-
nized tribes elect to send to the Smithsonian Institu-
tion; 
(2) shall maintain the list developed under sec-
tion 6(1) of the names of Native American code 
talkers of each recognized tribe; and 
(3) is encouraged to create a standing exhibit 
for Native American code talkers or Native Amer-
ican veterans. 
SEC. 6. NATIVE AMERICAN CODE TALKERS. 
The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Defense and the tribes, shall— 
(1)(A) determine the identity, to the maximum 
extent practicable, of each Native American code 
talker of each recognized tribe; 
(B) include the name of each Native American 
code talker identified under subparagraph (A) on a 
list, to be organized by recognized tribe; and 
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(C) provide the list, and any updates to the list, 
to the Smithsonian Institution for maintenance 
under section 5(c)(2); and 
(2) determine whether any Indian tribe that is 
not a recognized tribe should be eligible to receive a 
gold medal under this Act. 
SEC. 7. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
(a) SILVER DUPLICATE MEDALS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall strike 
duplicates in silver of the gold medals struck under 
section 5(b), to be awarded in accordance with para-
graph (2). 
(2) ELIGIBILITY FOR AWARD.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—A Native American 
shall be eligible to be awarded a silver duplicate 
medal struck under paragraph (1) in recogni-
tion of the service of Native American code 
talkers of the recognized tribe of the Native 
American, if the Native American served in the 
Armed Forces as a code talker in any foreign 
conflict in which the United States was involved 
during the 20th century. 
(B) DEATH
OF
CODE
TALKER.—In the 
event of the death of a Native American code 
talker who had not been awarded a silver dupli-
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cate medal under this subsection, the Secretary 
may award a silver duplicate medal to the next 
of kin or other personal representative of the 
Native American code talker. 
(C) DETERMINATION.—Eligibility for an 
award under this subsection shall be determined 
by the Secretary in accordance with section 6. 
(b) BRONZE DUPLICATE MEDALS.—The Secretary 
may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal 
struck pursuant to section 4 under such regulations as the 
Secretary may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the 
cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of ma-
chinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold 
and silver medals. 
SEC. 8. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 
SALE. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There 
are authorized to be charged against the United States 
Mint Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be 
necessary to pay for the cost of the medals struck pursu-
ant to this Act. 
(b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 
sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 
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7(b) shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 
Enterprise Fund. 
Æ 
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