Fourteen Comanche Code Talkers who served in the US military in World War II attending basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, April, 1941. Charles Chibitty (third from right) was dressed in Comanche dance regalia. National Archives
Comanche code talker Charles Chibitty was one of many Native Americans who used their languages to communicate secret messages that stumped the Germans and helped the Allies win World War II. Lumbee tribal citizen Jesse Oxendine was part of the 82nd Airborne division that encountered Nazi atrocities when they liberated the Wöbbelin concentration camp and forced local Germans to bury the dead and attend the victims’ funeral services.
Join us to commemorate Indigenous Peoples' Day and learn about courageous Native Americans who confronted Holocaust atrocities while serving their country.
Guest
Alexandra Harris, Co-curator of the exhibit and Co-author of the book Why We Serve: Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
Host
Dr. Edna Friedberg, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Watch live at facebook.com/holocaustmuseum. You do not need a Facebook account to view our program. After the live broadcast, the recording will be available to watch on demand on the Museum’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
Programs in 2022–2023 were made possible in part by the Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation.