Free Republic

He became a legend in the Army, as well as in his native Comanche tribe in Oklahoma. Charles Chibitty, 84, the last of the Comanche “code talkers,” died July 20 this year in Tulsa, Okla. He also reportedly was the last hereditary chief of the Comanche, having descended from the great leader, Chief Ten Bears. “Code talkers” is the term used to describe Soldiers from various Indian tribes who communicated on radios, telephones and telegraph during World Wars I and II. They spoke in their own languages and dialects, many of which were not written down and all of which...

When Charles "Charlie" J. Chibitty, the last World War II Comanche code talker, was buried July 26, a friend wrote in the eulogy, "Charlie's life has no foreshadowing or ending. As long as wind blows, his life and legacy will continue to twist and turn along courses only wild horses know."Chibitty died July 20 in Tulsa, Okla. He was 83. He was invited to the Pentagon three times -- in 1992, 1999 and 2002 -- in honor of his service to the nation as a World War II code talker. He, along with 16 other Comanche Indians, was part of...