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Code Talkers were some of country’s true herosI recently learned 89-year old Charles Chibitty of Tulsa, Okla. died June 19. He was bom Nov. 20,1921, in -Medicine Park, Okla.Most of you have never heard of Charles Chibitty. He was a student of Haskell Institute, in Lawrence, when World War II broke out.Chibitty like many American young men voluntarily enlisted to serve his country. I had not met or heard of him when I was told of his war experience. He was a , code,talker and he .was one of the few sur-living Comanche code talkers. ............Code talkers used their native languages to send and receive messages for the Allies. In WWII, the Comanche and Navajo were the code talkers. In World War I, the Choctaws were code talkers. The Germans or the Japanese never broke the code talker codes.The Comanche and Navajo languages didn’t have words for some of the military terms. In Comanche there was no word for ‘tank.’ Chibitty and the other Comanche code talkers used the Comanche word for ‘turtle’ for ‘tank.’ In Comanche, ‘pregnant airplane’ described a bomber. The Comanche used their word ‘posah-tai-yo’ for Hitler. In English it translated to ‘crazy white man.’ 'I had the pleasure of talking to him on my radio show, Native America Calling, years ago in Albuquerque, New Mexico.Our topic for the day was the Navajo Code Talkers. We had asked Charles Chibitty to join us in our discussion that day.He was one of about 20 Comanche code talkers during World War II. He and the/-» »v\ on nL a t o 1 boreTOMBEAVER♦COMMUNITYVIEWPOINTThe Navajo code talkers fought against the Japanese. Charles had gone ashore on Utah Beach at. Normandy ont D-Day. He,, and all the other Comanche code tMkers survived that one awful day when so many men died.In speeches, Chibitty told the audience his first coded message of D-Day. “Five miles to the right of the designated area and five miles inland the fighting is fierce and we need help.”He was with the Army’s 4th InfantryDivision, 4th Signal Company.During a 2002 interview, Chibitty said, “It’s strange, but growing up as a child I was forbidden to speak my native language at school. Later my country asked me to. My language helped win the war, and that makes me very proud. Very proud,”Chibitty was in some of the biggest battles of the war, the breakthrough at St. Lo, Hurtgen Forest and tlie Battle of the Bulge. His division was the first to take part in the liberation of Paris and the first infantry division to enter Germany. He earned the World War II Victory Medal, the European Theater of Operations Victory Medal, five Bronze Stars, the EuropeAfrican MirlrllA TTlast Hamnfiicm Mprlfll aneminent honored the only three surviving Comanche code talkers in 1989, Chibitty, Roderick Red Elk and Forrest Kas-sanavoid, with the “Chevalier of the National Order of Merit.”In 1999, Chibitty received the Knowlton Award, for outstanding intelligence work. The ceremony was held in the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.When you’re a talk show host you’re there to keep guests and callers on subject.On that day, my hosting chores were .'limited. S'SffiStirteSl'Vrifi let tfietalk roll on without interruptions.The audience and I were fascinated just listening to these two old men talk to each other about their experiences. It was wonderful listening to the two soldiers question each other about what they called planes, tanks, and enemy soldiers in their different languages.My listeners and I were treated to a wonderful conversation between two old veterans.I treasure the short hour spent with the two men. For me, they had honored me by coming on to my radio show. I had no way to return the honor other than a simple heart felt ‘thank you’ for their service to their tribes, to our country and spending an hour talking with my listeners.Somehow, it didn’t seem at all adequate for what they had experienced and done for us.They were — for me — real, true war heroes.Tnrn. Rpnupr r.n.n. he reached at
Newspaper Details
Ottawa Herald
Ottawa, Kansas, US
Fri, Jul 29, 2005
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Canton S.
OK, USA 22 Jan 2021
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Ottawa Daily Republican
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