Descendants of Choctaw code talkers gather in Fort Worth for historical marker unveiling

Descendants of Choctaw code talkers gather in Fort Worth for historical marker unveiling 1 of 3 | Nuchi Nashoba is the president of the Choctaw Code Talkers Association and great granddaughter of Choctaw Code Talker Ben Carterby. Nashoba said it was a full-circle moment to see the code talkers honored for their time at Camp Bowie in Fort Worth. (Christine Vo/Fort Worth Report via AP) 2 of 3 | City council member Macy Hill, left, Chief Gary Batton of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, center, and Nuchi Nashoba, president of the Choctaw Code Talkers Association, unveil the Choctaw Code Talkers historical marker on April 1, 20206 at Fort Worth’s Veterans Memorial Park in Texas. (Christine Vo/Fort Worth Report via AP) 3 of 3 | Selah Smith, member of the Choctaw tribe, left, and Nancy Benton Smith, member of Choctaw and Cherokee, pray after the unveiling of the Choctaw Code Talkers historical marker on April 1, 2026 at Fort Worth’s Veterans Memorial Park in Texas. (Christine Vo/Fort Worth Report) 1 of 3 Nuchi Nashoba is the president of the Choctaw Code Talkers Association and great granddaughter of Choctaw Code Talker Ben Carterby. Nashoba said it was a full-circle moment to see the code talkers honored for their time at Camp Bowie in Fort Worth. (Christine Vo/Fort Worth Report via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 3 City council member Macy Hill, left, Chief Gary Batton of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, center, and Nuchi Nashoba, president of the Choctaw Code Talkers Association, unveil the Choctaw Code Talkers historical marker on April 1, 20206 at Fort Worth’s Veterans Memorial Park in Texas. (Christine Vo/Fort Worth Report via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 3 Selah Smith, member of the Choctaw tribe, left, and Nancy Benton Smith, member of Choctaw and Cherokee, pray after the unveiling of the Choctaw Code Talkers historical marker on April 1, 2026 at Fort Worth’s Veterans Memorial Park in Texas. (Christine Vo/Fort Worth Report) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Nuchi Nashoba grew up looking at a photograph of her great-grandfather Ben Carterby inside her grandmother’s Oklahoma home. But, she didn’t know much about the man in the frame other than that he was a World War I veteran. It wasn’t until 1989 — when Nashoba was in her late 20s — that she learned a deep secret about her ancestor. Carterby was one of the Choctaw code talkers — a group of 19 Native American soldiers who used their language to transmit encrypted messages to the Allies during campaigns in northern France. The soldiers were sworn to secrecy and hid details of their service from families for decades. Over the past 20 years, Nashoba has led advocacy efforts to spotlight the group’s hidden legacy as president of the Choctaw Code Talkers Association. Now, the soldiers’ contributions are recognized in Fort Worth through a new plaque at the city’s Veterans Memorial Park. The Choctaw Code Talker Historical Marker was unveiled during an April 1 ceremony hosted by the Oklahoma tribe, the Texas Historical Commission and the city’s parks and recreation department. Several descendants of the Native soldiers attended. “Seeing the marker really brings me a lot of joy,” Nashoba said. “This is what preserves the history for generations to come.”