Charles Joyce Chibitty (November 20, 1921 – July 20, 2005) was a Native American and

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

code talker A code talker was a person employed by the military during wartime to use a little-known language as a means of secret communication. The term is now usually associated with United States service members during the world wars who used their k ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, who helped transmit coded messages in the Comanche (Nʉmʉnʉʉ) language on the battlefield as a

radio operator A radio operator (also, formerly, wireless operator in British and Commonwealth English) is a person who is responsible for the operations of a radio system. The profession of radio operator has become largely obsolete with the automation of ra ...

in the

European Theater The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

of the war. In 2013, Native American Code Talkers of World War I and II, represented by 33 Native American tribes, received the

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

from the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

at the

U.S. Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill at ...

. The Comanche code talkers were credited with saving the lives of thousands of American and Allied personnel.Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center - Code Talkers. Retrieved March 4, 2017
/ref>

Biography

Chibitty was born in a small tent outside of Medicine Park, Oklahoma, a city located 14 miles north-west of Lawton.Comanche Code Talker Charles Chibitty Dies
by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' (July 26, 2005).Festival of Word Honors Code Talker Charles Chibitty
(February 25, 2004).Charles Chibitty, 83; Comanche Code Talker for Allies During World War II
by the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' (July 24, 2005). He attended

Fort Sill Indian School Fort Sill Indian School was an American Indian boarding schools, American Indian boarding school near Lawton, Oklahoma, Lawton, Comanche County, Oklahoma, Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States. The school opened in 1871, with 24 students in the ...

as a child. While a high school student at the Haskell Indian School in Lawrence, Kansas, he constantly heard reports concerning the rise of Nazi Germany throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, and while he was home during Christmas break in 1940, his mother granted him permission to enlist in the

. The U.S. Army was searching for American Indians including Comanche Indians for the Signal Corps in late 1940, and in 1941, to serve as

s in the European Theatre. He entered military service on January 2, 1941, and was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Georgia. After basic training, he was assigned to the 4th Signal Company at Fort Benning where 17 Comanche Nation code talkers were to develop a secret code to prevent German forces from deciphering U.S. military messages. In late December, he was next sent with the division to then-

Camp Gordon Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in October 1941. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cyber Command, and the Cyber Center of Excellence. It ...

(Fort Gordon), Georgia. Chibitty served at Camp Gordon with the other hand-picked Comanche Indians who began training at Fort Benning as army radio operators and line repairmen. In April 1943, he and 13 of the other code talkers were next sent with the 4th Infantry Division to Fort Dix, New Jersey, Camp Gordon Johnston, Florida, Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and

Camp Kilmer Located in Central New Jersey, Camp Kilmer is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service ...

, New Jersey, to

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

for the European Theater.Army Heritage Center Foundation, ''How Comanche Heritage Helped Win the War: Charles J. Chibitty and the Code Talkers''. Retrieved April 5, 2017
/ref> On January 18, 1944, the 4th Infantry Division shipped out of New York for England for more training and arrived January 26. In England, the division trained as the spearhead amphibious division for the invasion of Normandy. Chibitty and 12 other Comanche code talkers from the 4th Signal Company were reassigned to be with the landing infantry regiments, division artillery, and division headquarters. The other code talker (Sgt. Morris Sunrise), was transferred to another division. The 13 Comanche code talkers in the 4th Division, including Cpl. ( T/5) Chibitty, landed at

Utah Beach Utah, commonly known as Utah Beach, was the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944 (D-Day), during World War II. The westernmost of the five code-named la ...

in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944 ( "D-Day"). Assigned to the 22nd Infantry Regiment, the first words sent from Chibitty on the beach to his command unit in Comanche talk that day were interpreted in English as: :''"Five miles to the right of the designated area and five miles inland, the fighting is fierce, and we need help."'' The 14 Comanche code talkers participated in the

Battle of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

, and other battles. Although none of the code talkers were killed in action, several were wounded in action, including Chibitty and his first cousin, Pfc. Larry Saupitty. In 1989, Chibitty and Comanche code talkers Roderick Red Elk and Forrest Kassanavoid were presented with the Chevalier of the

Ordre National du Mérite The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's estab ...

, and named Knights of the National Order of Merit by the French government; the 14 deceased Comanche Code Talkers were also included in the recognition-award ceremony. The role of Comanche code talkers in World War II was not recognized by the United States until 1999, in which Chibbity received the Knowlton Award from

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a meton ...

as the last surviving Comanche code talker. Chibitty, who was the last living Comanche code talker, died due to diabetes complications on July 20, 2005, at a hospital in Tulsa. He is buried at Floral Haven Memorial Gardens in

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Broken Arrow is a city located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, primarily in Tulsa County, with a portion in western Wagoner County. It is the largest suburb of Tulsa. According to the 2010 census, Broken Arrow has a popu ...

Military awards

Chibitty's decorations and awards include:

Other awards and honors

* The Thomas Knowlton Award – Established in 1995, by the Military Intelligence Corps Association in support of the Military Intelligence Corps. Chibitty was officially awarded the "Knowlton 1776" silver medal with blue neck ribbon on November 22, 1999. * Congressional Silver Medal – Native American Code Talkers. Native American Code Talkers from 25 (33 tribes are eligible) tribes who served in World War I and II were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on November 20, 2013, at the U.S. Capitol. Each tribe received a gold medal representing their tribe ("Comanche Nation Code Talker" medal) and each code talker of the tribe or their next of kin received a Congressional silver duplicate medal. Seven more tribes/code talkers were to receive medals at a future date. * Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame – Charles Chibitty, 2001, and 14 "Comanche Code Talkers" who served in the European Theater during World War II including Chibitty, 2011. * Code Talker Hall, Comanche Code Talkers mural – Fort Sill, Oklahoma, 2015The Lawton Constitution, 3/21/2015, ''Code Talkers Honored With Name On New Hall On Post''
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chibitty, Charles 1921 births 2005 deaths Comanche code talkers People from Comanche County, Oklahoma Comanche people United States Army non-commissioned officers United States Army personnel of World War II Native American United States military personnel Deaths from diabetes

Biography

Military awards

Other awards and honors

See also

References

External links