[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11315]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING CLARENCE WOLF GUTS

 Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to Clarence Wolf 
Guts, of Wanblee, SD. Clarence passed away on June 16, 2010, at the age 
of 86.
  The last surviving Oglala Lakota code talker, Clarence Wolf Guts was 
an American hero. Serving in World War II as a Native American code 
talker, Clarence helped win the war by transmitting critical military 
messages in his native language, which the Japanese and German 
militaries could not translate.
  Clarence enlisted in the U.S. Army on June 17, 1942, at age 18. One 
of 11 South Dakotan Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota Native American code 
talkers, Clarence was recruited to help develop a phonetic alphabet 
based on the Lakota language. This alphabet was eventually used to 
develop the Lakota code.
  Serving as a code talker, Clarence's primary job was transmitting 
coded messages from a general to his chief of staff in the field. 
Courageous and self-sacrificing, the efforts of Clarence and other code 
talkers were essential for the Allied victory.
  Honorably discharged on January 13, 1946, Pfc. Wolf Guts was a man 
willing and able to serve his country. I have a great deal of respect 
for Clarence and for the extraordinary contributions Mr. Wolf Guts made 
to our country. The efforts of the Lakota Code Talkers saved the lives 
of many soldiers, and Clarence Wolf Guts was a true American hero.
  Today I wish to celebrate the life of an extraordinary man. As we 
mourn the loss of this great South Dakotan, I extend my thoughts, 
prayers and best wishes to Clarence's family, friends, and loved 
ones.

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