Choctaw Code Talkers were instrumental in World War I. Now, they’ll be honored at Fort Worth Veterans Memorial Park.
During World War I, 19 Native American soldiers became part of the Choctaw Code Talkers under the 36th Infantry Division organized at Texas’s Camp Bowie. These men used their native Choctaw language to help encrypt messages for the Allies that were impossible for enemy forces to decipher. In doing so, “they became instrumental to US operations,” and led the way for future Native American code talkers to serve in subsequent wars. The impact of their service and sacrifice cannot be overstated. Now, Fort Worth is set to honor these men with a historical marker placed at Veterans Memorial Park. An official unveiling ceremony for the marker—which will be positioned close to other 36th Division memorials in the park’s northwest section—is scheduled for April 1.
On March 3, city council members were presented with an informal report authored by the Texas Historical Commission in partnership with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The report read, in part, “This new marker would expand the park’s mission to honor not only military service, but also the unique cultural contributions that have shaped US history.” It will be constructed in the traditional fashion used for every historical marker in Texas with flat cast aluminum. Silver lettering on a black background will explain who the Choctaw Code Talkers were and why they’re being honored at the park.
Additional details regarding the unveiling ceremony are forthcoming.
Fort Worth is also building its first Vietnam War memorial
Fort Worth has always strongly emphasized the importance of war veterans and their contributions over the years. Another example of that is the Vietnam War Memorial which is also being constructed at the Veterans Memorial Park. That memorial, which was proposed by Bruce Zielsdorf, Jim Hodgson, and other local veterans through Tarrant County’s Vietnam Memorial Foundation, is scheduled for completion in September. It will be the first Vietnam War Memorial in the city.
The monument will honor 223 service members from Tarrant County who died serving their country during the Vietnam War, as well as 35 veterans who passed away at home after the war’s conclusion due to Agent Orange exposure, PTSD, and other diseases. The centerpiece of the memorial is a bronze tree that’s encompassed by granite. The names of the deceased, along with their years of death, will be engraved in the stone. Bricks featuring donor names and granite benches will be placed nearby.
Hodgson spoke with the Fort Worth Report about the importance of this memorial, and why he and Zielsdorf, along with other veterans, campaigned for its addition to Veterans Memorial Park. “This is a part of the fabric of the community that is relatively unknown to everybody, and this is part of who we are as a community,” he said. Hodgson added, “These people are entitled to be recognized for their sacrifice. Maybe it’ll be a healing process for their families. Maybe it will be a healing process for the community. Maybe it will be a uniting process for the community.”
The memorial will be a “living” monument, meaning that it’ll leave room for the names of Vietnam veterans who are still alive.
