{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://cole.house.gov/press-release/code-talkers-receive-congressional-gold-medal-honor", "Code Talkers Receive Congressional Gold Medal of Honor", "2013-11-20", "2013", "2013-11", "Republican", "House", "OK", "Tom Cole", "C001053", "cole.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) and Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04), co-chairs of the Native American Congressional Caucus, participated in a ceremony today that honored Native American code talkers with the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. Out of the 33 tribes recognized, 10 tribes are from Oklahoma and three (Choctaw, Comanche and Kiowa) are from the Fourth District of Oklahoma.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\t\u201cToday we honor the great bravery and skill of Native American military heroes,\u201d said Congressman Cole, who is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. \u201cOver the course of American history, Native Americans have demonstrated outstanding valor on the battlefield, and today we remember the vital role they played as code talkers during World War I and World War II. These individuals embraced their cultural heritage and used it to prevent highly-sensitive wartime messages from being intercepted by the enemy. Because of their service and unique contributions, countless lives were saved and victory was claimed more quickly by the Allies. This ceremony inspires great pride in the Native American hearts, including my own. But for all Americans, it should serve as a reminder of true bravery and sacrifice.\u201d \u00a0  \n\t\u00a0  \n\t\u201cThese American heroes are shining examples of the long and proud history of Native Americans\u2019 military service to our country,\u201d said Congresswoman McCollum.\u00a0 \u201cMany Americans are familiar with the story of the Navajo code talkers, but today we recognize the contributions of veterans from 33 tribal nations, including Lakota and Ojibwe speakers.\u00a0 Using the languages of their people, these brave soldiers created unbreakable codes that aided in the Allied victory and saved the lives of many of their brothers-in-arms.\u00a0 Upon returning home, the service of the code talkers was kept secret to protect those programs.\u00a0 As a result, many loyal veterans faced the hardship of never being able to tell their families and communities the details of their valiant service.\u00a0 Today, we offer this long-overdue honor in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to our Nation.\u201d  \n\t\u00a0  \n\t### Additional photos of today\u2019s ceremony are available here. Contact:  Sarah Corley (202) 225 - 6165 (Cole)  Matthew Hilgart (202) 225 - 6631 (McCollum)", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://cole.house.gov/press-release/code-talkers-receive-congressional-gold-medal-honor"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.045771572738886, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}