[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 445 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 445

Recognizing the invaluable contribution of Native American Veterans and 
                 honoring their service to the Nation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 8, 2004

 Mr. Pallone submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the invaluable contribution of Native American Veterans and 
                 honoring their service to the Nation.

Whereas Native Americans from tribes across the Nation have often been the first 
        to respond to the call of duty in service to the Nation and have fought, 
        often as volunteers, in every major conflict in the 20th Century;
Whereas despite the fact that many Native Americans did not even have full 
        American citizenship until 1924, many thousands of Native American men 
        and women responded to the call of duty to serve in the Armed Forces;
Whereas 14 soldiers from the Choctaw tribe serving in the 36th Division of the 
        United States Army during World War I used their native language to 
        create an unbreakable code, enabling American forces to communicate 
        securely, and thus helped turn the tide of the Meuse-Argonne offensive 
        in favor of the Allied nations;
Whereas the use of Native American soldiers as ``Code Talkers'', as they came to 
        be known, continued with unparalleled success during World War II, with 
        over 500 members of the Navajo, Choctaw, Commanche, Onieda, Chippewa, 
        Sac and Fox, and Hopi tribes helping to provide this essential component 
        of American military communications in both the Pacific and Europe;
Whereas Native Americans have consistently enlisted in the Armed Forces at far 
        greater rates than those of any other ethnic groups in the United 
        States, including more than 12,000 serving during World War I, more than 
        25,000 during World War II, and more than 42,000 during Vietnam; and
Whereas 11 Native American servicemen in the 20th Century, namely, Van T. 
        Barfoot, Ernest Childers, John R. Crews, Ernest Edwin Evans, Jack C. 
        Montgomery, John N. Reese, Jr., Charles George, Raymond Harvey, Mitchell 
        Red Cloud, J. Elliot Williams, and Michael E. Thornton, were awarded the 
        Congressional Medal of Honor for their valor above and beyond the call 
        of duty in the battles of World War II, the Korean conflict, and 
        Vietnam: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) recognizes the outstanding contributions of Native 
        Americans who have served in the Armed Forces of the United 
        States, and especially honors those Native Americans who gave 
        their lives to defend freedom and democracy;
            (2) encourages all Americans to study and appreciate the 
        enormous contributions of Native Americans serving in the Armed 
        Forces; and
            (3) thanks the members of all Native American tribes whose 
        men and women serve and have served in the Armed Forces.
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