B Y SCOTT RAINS
STAFF WRITER
SRAINS@LAWTON-CONSTITUTION.COM
The Comanche Nation honored two congressional leaders who were key in getting the tribe’s World War II code talkers due recognition.
The tribe held a banquet and ceremony “to honor those who helped the Comanche Nation advance in its progression Friday night at the Best Western, said Jolene Schonchin, tribe information officer.
The tribe honored Oklahoma Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole and Texas 12th District Congresswoman Kay Granger for being “instrumental in the passing of the Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008, HR 4544,” Schonchin said. The act was signed into law in September 2008 following seven years of lobbying efforts, she said.
Tribal members contributed to victory in World War II
The act authorizes the recognition of every code talker with a Congressional Gold Medal for their tribe and, individually, with a silver medal duplicate The legislation identified members of the Assiniboine, Chippewa and Oneida, Choctaw, Comanche, Cree, Crow, Hopi, Kiowa, Menominee, Mississauga, Muscogee, Sac and Fox, and Sioux tribes as potential recipients of the award.
Cole, an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation, is the only Native American serving in Congress, Schonchin said. He was presented a Comanche Pendleton blanket, a vest worn from the Comanche Indian Veterans Association (CIVA), a plaque from the Comanche Nation that reads: “In recognition for your outstanding contribution to the Advancement of the Great Comanche Nation”, and a picture of the Comanche Code Talkers monument that is at the Comanche Nation Complex.
Granger was presented a Comanche Pendleton Blanket, a shawl worn by CIVA auxiliary members, and two plaques – one from the Comanche Nation and one by the CIVA.
Schonchin said other honorees included: Ralph Kotay, posthumous; Thomas Blackstar of the Comanche Native American Church; Nelson Bigbow of the Kiowa Native American Church; Carl Atauvich; and the tribe’s legal counsel, Hobbs, Straus, Dean, and Walker LLP.
