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Charles Chibitty

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Charles Joyce Chibitty
Chibitty in 2002
Born(1921-11-20)November 20, 1921
Medicine Park, Oklahoma,United States
DiedJuly 20, 2005(2005-07-20)(aged 83)
Tulsa, Oklahoma,United States
Place of burial
Flora Haven Memorial Gardens
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1941–1945
RankTechnician Fifth Grade
Unit6th Signal Company,4th Infantry Division
22nd Infantry Regiment,4th Infantry Division
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsBronze Star Medal(2)
Purple Heart
French National Order of Merit
French Croix de Guerrew/ palm

Charles Joyce Chibitty(November 20, 1921 – July 20, 2005) was aNative AmericanandUnited States Armycode talkerinWorld War II,who helped transmit coded messages in theComanche(Nʉmʉnʉʉ) language on the battlefield as aradio operatorin theEuropean Theaterof the war.

In 2013, Native American Code Talkers of World War I and II, represented by 33 Native American tribes, received theCongressional Gold Medalfrom thePresident of the United Statesat theU.S. Capitol.The Comanche code talkers were credited with saving the lives of thousands of American and Allied personnel.[1]

Biography[edit]

Chibitty was born in a small tent outside ofMedicine Park, Oklahoma,a city located 14 miles north-west ofLawton.[2][3][4]He attendedFort Sill Indian Schoolas a child. While a high school student at theHaskell Indian SchoolinLawrence, Kansas, [2][3][4]he constantly heard reports concerning therise of Nazi GermanythroughoutEurope,and while he was home during Christmas break in 1940, his mother granted him permission to enlist in theUnited States Army.[2][4] The U.S. Army was searching for American Indians includingComanche Indiansfor theSignal Corpsin late 1940, and in 1941, to serve ascode talkersin the European Theatre.

He entered military service on January 2, 1941, and was assigned to the4th Infantry DivisionatFort 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.[2][4]In late December, he was next sent with the division to then-Camp Gordon(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.[1]In April 1943, he and 13 of the other code talkers were next sent with the 4th Infantry Division toFort Dix,New Jersey,Camp Gordon Johnston,Florida,Fort Jackson,South Carolina, andCamp Kilmer,New Jersey, tostagefor the European Theater.[5]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 theinvasion 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 atUtah Beachin Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944 ("D-Day").[1][6]Assigned to the22nd Infantry Regiment,[5]the first words sent from Chibitty on the beach to his command unit in Comanche talk that day were interpreted in English as:[7][5]

"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 theBattle of Normandy,Battle of the Bulge,and other battles.[2]Although none of the code talkers were killed in action, several were wounded in action, including Chibitty and his first cousin,[8]Pfc. Larry Saupitty.

In 1989, Chibitty and Comanche code talkers Roderick Red Elk and Forrest Kassanavoid were presented with the Chevalier of theOrdre National du Mérite,and named Knights of the National Order of Merit by the French government;[3]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 theKnowlton AwardfromThe Pentagonas the last surviving Comanche code talker.[2][3][4]

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Chibitty, who was the last living Comanche code talker,[9]died due todiabetes complicationson July 20, 2005, at a hospital in Tulsa.[2][4]He is buried at Floral Haven Memorial Gardens inBroken Arrow, Oklahoma.<

Military awards[edit]

Chibitty's decorations and awards include:[10]

Combat Infantryman Badge
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Bronze Star Medalw/ bronzeoak leaf cluster
Purple Heart
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Army Presidential Unit Citationw/ bronze oak leaf cluster
Army Good Conduct Medal
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
Arrowhead
Silver star
 European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medalw/Arrowhead deviceand3⁄16"silvercampaign star
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
French National Order of Merit
French Croix de Guerrew/ bronze palm
French Liberation Medal
Belgian Fourragère

Other awards and honors[edit]

  • The Thomas Knowlton Award – Established in 1995, by the Military Intelligence Corps Association in support of theMilitary Intelligence Corps.Chibitty was officially awarded the "Knowlton 1776" silver medal with blue neck ribbon on November 22, 1999.[11]
  • 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.[12][13][14]
  • 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.[15][16]
  • Code Talker Hall, Comanche Code Talkers mural –Fort Sill,Oklahoma, 2015[17]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abc"Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center - Code Talkers. Retrieved March 4, 2017".Archived fromthe originalon March 10, 2021.RetrievedApril 6,2017.
  2. ^abcdefgComanche Code Talker Charles Chibitty DiesbyThe Washington Post(July 26, 2005).
  3. ^abcdFestival of Word Honors Code Talker Charles Chibitty(February 25, 2004).
  4. ^abcdefCharles Chibitty, 83; Comanche Code Talker for Allies During World War IIby theLos Angeles Times(July 24, 2005).
  5. ^abcArmy Heritage Center Foundation,How Comanche Heritage Helped Win the War: Charles J. Chibitty and the Code Talkers.Retrieved April 5, 2017
  6. ^[1]You Tube,Code of Honor - Comanche Code Talkers of WWII,December 10, 2013]
  7. ^Charlie Chibitty: Comanche Code-Talker
  8. ^"Soldiers Magazine".Archived fromthe originalon 2017-05-22.Retrieved2017-04-08.
  9. ^[2]DoD News
  10. ^You Tube, Chitibby uniform
  11. ^[3]Military Intelligence Corps Association (MICA), The LTC Thomas Knowlton Award.[4]Knowlton Awardees, Charles Chibitty, November 22, 1999. Retrieved April 5, 2017
  12. ^Coin Update,Native American Code Talkers Congressional Gold Medals,November 21, 2013Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  13. ^Indian Country Media Network, Veterans
  14. ^You Tube
  15. ^Oklahoma Military Heritage Foundation/Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame
  16. ^Oklahoma Military Heritage Foundation/Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame
  17. ^The Lawton Constitution, 3/21/2015,Code Talkers Honored With Name On New Hall On Post
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