Speaker to share code talker history
Martinez keeps grandfather's Native American legacy alive
BY CAITLIN GIDDENS Contributing reporter

Joe Martinez

Troup's Summer Reading Program winds down Wednesday with a special program that should appeal to all ages. Guest speaker Joe Martinez will present Native American Code Talkers, an entertaining and enlightening look at an important part of World War II history.

The 3 p.m. program is open to the public, with a special invitation to area veterans, said Melanie Brumit, chairperson of the Summer Reading Program.

"He's a really good speaker and has a large audience appeal," said Brumit, adding that this program is something of a departure for the library. "We are trying to reach out to people who might not attend otherwise."

As the grandson of the late Charles Chibitty, the last World War II European theater code talker, Martinez educates audiences of the Native American role in Allied communication during the war. Martinez is an award-winning Comanche traditional dancer and a leader in the Native American community who has performed for students and adults alike for over a decade.

"As a kid I saw my grandfather's Army photographs and medals, so I asked him if he was in the service," Martinez said. "He chuckled a little and said he was. This information was classified until the '60s, so I was lucky he could tell me about it."

Charles Chibitty

Martinez's interest in his Chibitty's past was first whetted when he saw members of the Comanche tribe greet his grandfather with honor at a Pow Wow in Oklahoma.

"I didn't realize how important my grandfather was to the Native American culture and American history," Martinez said. "He was so humble about it. Whenever people asked him how he could serve in the Army like that, he simply replied that he was just doing his job."

After that, Chibitty began to teach his grandson the codes that were used in the D-Day invasion and to pass down memorabilia like his combat uniform and a headdress that had been in the family for over 250 years.

"We were the only two people to know those codes, which got me interested," Martinez said. "Then I began to ask questions endlessly and started to do research as I got older to learn more about the code talking and the Comanches," Martinez said.

Now Martinez shares these insights with students through his program.

"I tell the kids about code talking and my grandfather's childhood," Martinez said. "About how when he was a kid he was punished for speaking his tribe's language, and then his country needed him to speak it for the codes in WW II."

From these stories, Martinez hopes that the children become intrigued by their own family history and never forget what the Native Americans did for their nation.

"I hope that the kids ask their grandparents about their past and keep the stories going," he said. "I try to educate children and adults what Native Americans do for this society. I keep the stories alive."

Martinez's program will also include examples of traditional Native American dances, as well as an assortment of WW II memorabilia.

"We can all do our part to educate children," Martinez said. "If I tell and record the stories now, they'll still be here to pass onto further generations when I'm gone. They'll never die."