To keep their plans a secret from the enemy during the fighting in WWII, the US famously employed Native American code talkers who communicated in their native languages. However, WWII was not the first time Native Americans were employed in this critical role. Their combat debut was actually WWI.
Keeping your communications a secret from the enemy is one of the most important tasks during a conflict. If an enemy can listen in to your communications, they can plan ahead and counter any moves you intend to make.
The development of modern computers received a huge boost during WWII when they were used to decrypt enemy-coded messages. In fact, the world’s first programmable, electronic, digital computer was created for this purpose.
WWI code talkers
Code talkers were used as a tactical means of communicating secret information during battle. They used their knowledge of Native American languages to send coded messages that were unable to be broken by the enemy.
Choctaw
The government of the Choctaw Nation asserts that the Choctaw were the first Native American code talkers to serve in the US military.
This took place in the 1918 Meuse-Argonne campaign in France. During this battle, the Germans had cracked Allied codes and tapped into their communication lines. Speaking great English, they continuously listened to radio messages. Even sending messages by hand was difficult, as the Germans were capturing on average one in every four runners.
They fought for a country that didn’t care for them
American Indian code talkers communicating in their language had been critical to Allied victories in Europe, but back home their children were punished for speaking this exact same language in class.