Heroics of Camp Bowie code talkers are honored in this Fort Worth museum display

Kathryn Hooker grew up not realizing her ancestors were a part of history, a group that might very well have preserved the freedom she and her daughter Ruth enjoy today.

Kathryn’s grandfather and Ruth’s great grandfather, George Davenport, and her uncle and Ruth’s great uncle, Joseph Davenport, were code talkers. They were two of 19 Choctaw Native Americans in the 36th Infantry Division from Fort Worth’s Camp Bowie who played a major role in the outcome of World War I.

Code talkers used their native language to send secret communications on the battlefield. It confused the enemy and saved countless lives of American soldiers.

“These young men had to sign an oath of secrecy. They (the government) were going to see how well it worked,” Kathryn said. “It worked so well they used it again in World War II. But they were never recognized again until after their death.”

Now they are on display for all to see at the Military Museum of Fort Worth, in Ridgmar Mall, at 1888 Green Oaks Road. The exhibit was put in place a few months ago as part of the museum’s larger feature on the 36th Infantry.

Among the most prominent parts of the exhibit is a photo of George and Joseph side-by-side.

“The Germans couldn’t make heads or tails of what was going on,” said Bill Leaf, who is in charge of special projects at the museum. “And the code talkers saved a lot of lives.”

Bill’s wife, Jackie, is part Choctaw and on their national roll. He recalled seeing pictures of code talkers when they would visit Choctaw Nation Headquarters in Durant, Oklahoma.

“World War II history is one of my hobbies. I didn’t know about World War I code talkers until Jackie and I started going up there,” he said.

The code talkers of World War II, who were mostly Navajo, became popularized through the 2002 film “Wind Talkers,” starring Nicolas Cage. However, Leaf noted it was the Choctaw, who joined the fight late in World War I, who were the originals.

“Normally, I point that out to folks and they say, ‘Oh, I knew about the Navajo,’ but I say, no, the Choctaw in World War I,’” Leaf said.

Kathryn, who is one-fourth Choctaw (Ruth is one-eighth), said she learned of her grandfather and uncle being a part of this historic group after she was grown up and working for the Choctaw Nation.

“It was 1986 when I first heard. I said, My grandpa did that!” Kathryn reminisced with excitement.

Joseph died in 1923, a few years after the war ended. George, though he lived until 1950, remained mostly silent on the subject.

“I don’t remember it being talked about in our family, but Indian people are typically private,” Ruth said. “I remember hearing about it and going, huh? But like most teenagers, I didn’t really think about the value at the time.

“But when I started looking at code talkers and their contribution to the nation, it became a passion with me.”

As for the museum exhibit, Kathryn and Ruth found out when the Leafs stopped by their popular Stockyards restaurant Hooker’s Grill. He recalled having a hamburger and Jackie had an Indian Taco, their two most popular dishes.

“I was totally surprised and very happy,” Kathryn said. “It’s so wonderful to see them recognized here for people to come in and see the great thing they did.

“I’m so glad this is here for young people to see and learn about.”

Recognition for code talkers

Even when the code talker program was declassified in 1968, national recognition of code talkers was slow. It wasn’t until 2000 that code talkers were honored by the U.S. Congress and awarded gold and silver medals for their contribution.

Kathryn and Ruth went to Washington in 2013 as President Barack Obama honored all tribes with code talkers.

“Nobody talked about it,” Ruth said. “This is a vital part of our history that people are still learning about.”

It wasn’t until 1924 that Native Americans were awarded U.S. citizenship and granted the right to vote.

“They volunteered to save a country they weren’t even considered a part of,” Ruth said. “My great grandfather, when he got back home, he never spoke Choctaw to his children. He said it’s a white man’s world.”

Remembering at the restaurant

Kathryn and Ruth opened Hookers in 2017. On the building is a painting of a Native American Girl. Visitors will also see the phrase “Chi Pisa la chike,” which is Choctaw for “Until we meet again.”

And soon, Ruth said a star elsewhere in the Stockyards that honors code talkers will be moved to the restaurant. She is on the board of directors for the Texas Trail of Fame, the folks who place the stars.

“Probably in October, when the new inductees go in,” she said.

They even honor their heritage with their food, most notably the Indian Taco. It features frybread, a dish of the indigenous people of North America that is a flat dough bread, fried or deep-fried.

“You can put anything on it. It’s the bread that makes it special,” Ruth said. “The Indian Taco, you can’t get anywhere else.”

Ruth stressed that, honoring the heritage of theirs and all families, the restaurant is closed on all holidays, even ones such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day when they could likely be making a lot of money.

“Any time somebody should be with their family we’re closed,” she said. “At our place we’re not traditional. We don’t punch a time clock and we feed every homeless person who comes to our window.”

More education about Native Americans

While thrilled about the exhibit, Kathryn and Ruth agree that much more can be done to educate folks about code talkers and Native Americans in general.

“Our ancestors are our history. We should know where they came from and the contributions they made,” Kathryn said.

Ruth is leading a charge to bring more recognition locally to Native Americans, including a goal of having them honored during a night at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.

“There’s really not enough to educate young people — and even adults — about Native Americans,” she said.

In the meantime, Bill said there are no plans to take down the code talkers exhibit.

“The World War I 36th wall has been there since I’ve been here,” he said. “It’s something everyone needs to know about, and the code talkers are a part of that.”