Choctaw code talkers to be honored at Veterans Memorial Park in Fort Worth

Native American soldiers who pioneered using their Choctaw language to transmit encrypted messages during World War I will be honored in Fort Worth’s Veterans Memorial Park. 

The Texas Historical Commission, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the city’s parks and recreation department are partnering for a plaque recognizing the contributions of the Choctaw code talkers in the 36th Infantry Division, which was organized at Camp Bowie.

The Choctaw Code Talker Historical Marker expands the park’s mission to honor the “unique cultural contributions” that shaped U.S. history, according to an informal report presented to council members on March 3. 

A group of 19 Native American soldiers engineered their language to send messages used in Allied communications during campaigns in northern France. The Germans famously failed to decipher such encrypted transmissions throughout the war.

The Choctaw soldiers are widely considered to be the first Native American code talkers to serve in the U.S. military. 

The memorial will be the typical Texas historical marker — flat cast aluminum with black background and silver lettering — that is provided by the Texas Historical Commission, said Joel McKnight, assistant director of Fort Worth’s parks and recreation. 

It will be located in the northwest portion of the park near other memorials dedicated to the 36th Division. An unveiling ceremony is scheduled for April 1. 

The Choctaw historical marker is the latest addition to the city’s Veterans Memorial Park, which has served as a place for remembrance since 1950. 

Meanwhile, Fort Worth’s first Vietnam War memorial, honoring over 220 Tarrant County service members who never came home from deployment, is scheduled to be completed in the same park in September. 

David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.

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