Ho-Chunk Nation Seal - Photo by the Ho-Chunk Nation
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) – Wisconsin State Senator Patrick Testin (Stevens Point) and Representative Nancy VanderMeer (Tomah) are introducing a bill that would name a popular highway after Wisconsin’s native American code talkers.
The bill would dedicate a stretch of I-90 between La Crosse and Tomah after the infamous code talkers, naming it the “Ho-Chunk World War II Code Talkers Memorial Highway.”
“Many generations of Ho-Chunk (Hoocąk) have earned recognition and respect on the battlefield,” Senator Testin said in a statement. “Due to the secrecy of their mission, the Code Talkers have not always received the recognition that they have earned. In light of their significant contributions to our country and world, it’s important that we honor their memory.”
At this time, fourteen Ho-Chunk (Hoock) veterans, such as Bill Whitebear, Benjamin Winneshiek, and Bill Mike, who served as code talkers, have been identified by the Department of Defense. They used their native language to promote quick communication and the coordination of Allied military plans with native people from 32 other tribes, most notably the Navajo tribe of Arizona and nine other states.
According to a Navajo Nation press release, Samuel Sandoval, one of the last living Navajo Code Talkers who served during WWII, died in July of last year. Sandoval served in five combat tours, including Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, Peleliu, and Okinawa, before he was honorably discharged on January 26, 1946. He was also the recipient of the 2022 American Spirit Award for Bravery by the National WWII Museum.
Today, only three code talkers are still with us, including Iwo Jima veteran John Kinsel Sr., Peter MacDonald, and Thomas H. Begay.
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