Descendants of Choctaw code talkers gather in Fort Worth for historical marker unveiling

Nuchi Nashoba is the president of the Choctaw Code Talkers Association and great granddaughter of Choctaw Code Talker Ben Carterby.

Nashoba said it was a full-circle moment to see the code talkers honored for their time at Camp Bowie in Fort Worth. (Christine Vo/Fort Worth Report via AP) 2026-04-03T17:36:46Z Nuchi Nashoba grew up looking at a photograph of her great-grandfather Ben Carterby inside her grandmother’s Oklahoma home.

But, she didn’t know much about the man in the frame other than that he was a World War I veteran.

It wasn’t until 1989 — when Nashoba was in her late 20s — that she learned a deep secret about her ancestor.

Carterby was one of the Choctaw code talkers — a group of 19 Native American soldiers who used their language to transmit encrypted messages to the Allies during campaigns in northern France.

The soldiers were sworn to secrecy and hid details of their service from families for decades.

Over the past 20 years, Nashoba has led advocacy efforts to spotlight the group’s hidden legacy as president of the Choctaw Code Talkers Association.

Now, the soldiers’ contributions are recognized in Fort Worth through a new plaque at the city’s Veterans Memorial Park .

The Choctaw Code Talker Historical Marker was unveiled during an April 1 ceremony hosted by the Oklahoma tribe, the Texas Historical Commission and the city’s parks and recreation department.

Several descendants of the Native soldiers attended. “Seeing the marker really brings me a lot of joy,” Nashoba said. “This is what preserves the history for generations to come.” Choctaw code talkers’ ties to Fort Worth Members of the Choctaw code talkers were men who volunteered to fight for the U.S. in World War I at a time when Native Americans were not recognized as citizens.

Indigenous communities wouldn’t receive citizenship until 1924 .

While in the battlefields in France, some of these men were overheard speaking their Choctaw language and were trained to use their words as “code.” They were placed on front lines and command posts so that messages could be transmitted to headquarters.

The soldiers shared words like “tanampo chito” for artillery and “tvshka” for warriors, according to the historical marker.

The Germans famously failed to decipher these Choctaw transmissions within 24 hours throughout the war.

Read More The Choctaw group is widely considered to be the first Native American code talkers to serve in the U.S. military.

Their work paved the way for the Nav

原文链接: AP News