Ceremony Honors Standing Rock “Code Talkers”

FORT YATES, N.D. (AP) — Forty-five members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe who served as code talkers during World Wars I and II have been honored posthumously for their service.

Family members of the former soldiers were presented Congressional Gold Medals during a ceremony in Fort Yates on Thursday. The medals were first presented at a ceremony last month in Washington, D.C.

Code talkers used their native languages to protect American battlefield secrets during the two world wars. Members of 33 tribes served.

The Standing Rock Sioux Reservation straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border.