Marathon Pundit: Last Lakota WWII Code Talker dies

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Last Lakota WWII Code Talker dies

Although uneven, the film Windtalkers brought well-deserved attention to the role of Native American soldiers who used their tribal languages for coded messages during World War II. But not all of the Code Talkers were Navajos. Choctaw, Comanche, and Cherokee soldiers also served as Code Talkers, as did some Lakota.

On Wednesday the last Lakota Code Talker, Clarence Wolf Guts, died at 86 in Hot Springs, South Dakota.

After the 9/11 attacks, Wolf Guts asked his son to contact the Defense Department, to see if his skills could be used to capture Osama bin Laden.

"He still wanted to help. He was trying to still be patriotic," his son told the Rapid City Journal.

Sen. John Thune (R-SD) issued a statement about Wolf Guts:

Clarence Wolf Guts was an American hero; he was courageous and self-sacrificing. 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 for too long went unrecognized. Kimberley and I wish to express our sympathy to his family during this difficult time.