November 2015: National American Indian Heritage Month

After nearly a century of advocacy, National American Indian Heritage Month was ﬁ rst recognized through joint resolution by Congress in 1990. Now recognized annually, November is a time to recognize the native peoples of America who have been an integral part of the American character and to learn more about their history, achievements, and heritage history.

This year, we chose to highlight the lives of American Indian Code Talkers that played a vital role in the success of the U.S. military campaigns during the world wars. The term Code Talker is associated with the United States soldiers during the wars that used their knowledge of Native American languages as a basis to transmit coded messages. Although the term Code Talker is strongly associated with bilingual Navajo Navajo Code Talker Statue New Mexico Veterans’ Memorial speakers specially recruited during World War II by the Marines, code talking was pioneered by Cherokee and Choctaw Indians during World War I.

Joseph Oklahombi was a member of the Choctaw Indian Tribe located in the South Eastern United States (ranging from Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida). Oklahombi served as one of the original Code Talkers during World War I. As a Code Talker, Oklahombi helped decode Choctaw into English and communicate messages to those on the ﬁ eld. Oklahombi is known for his participation in the battles in St. Etienne, France, where Oklahombi and twenty-three fellow soldiers attacked an enemy position, captured 171 prisoners and held their position for four days while under merciless attack. For his contributions during World War I, Oklahombi was awarded the Silver Star with the Victory Ribbon from the United States, and from Marshal Henri-Philippe Petain he received the Croix de Guerre, one of France’s highest honors for gallantry. Oklahombi is Oklahoma’s most decorated war hero and his medals are on display in the Oklahoma Historical Society in Oklahoma City.

Edmond Andrew Harjo was a member of the Seminole Indian Tribe of Oklahoma. Harjo served in the U.S. Army’s 195th Field Artillery Battalion during World War II, serving in Normandy in 1944 and the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. Harjo was awarded a Silver Star for his participation in the Battle of the Bulge an, as well as a European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, a Good Conduct Medal and the Congressional Gold Medal. Following the war, Harjo worked as a teacher and concert pianist. Harjo died on March 31, 2014 at the age of 96 and was known as the last surviving Seminole Code Talker.

Chester Nez was a member of the Navajo Indian Tribe of New Mexico. Nez was the last remaining of the original 29 Navajos recruited by the Marine Corps to develop the legendary code that was used for vital communications during battle in World War II. Nez was a teenager when he was recruited in 1942 and assigned with the other Code Talkers to the Marine Corps’ 382nd Platoon at Camp Pendleton. The Navajo Code that Nez help create is the only spoken military code never to have been deciphered. In 2001, Nez was one of the ﬁ ve living Code Talkers who received the Congressional Gold Medal from President George W. Bush. Following the war, Nez worked as a painter and re-enlisted during the Korean War. Nez died on June 4, 2014, at age 93.

The heart of Locke Lord lies within our people and the many different experiences and perspectives we share. We recognize, embrace and celebrate our differences and believe we can only provide our clients with the best possible representation if we reﬂ ect the diversity of the clients and communities we serve.