World War II Honoree
World War II Veteran
Charles Joyce Chibitty
Branch of Service
U.S. Army
Hometown
Comanche County, Oklahoma
Honored By
Robert S. Cox
ONE OF THE LEGENDARY COMANCHE CODE TALKERS FOR THE ARMY DURING WWII. ENLISTED IN THE ARMY IN 1941 IN RESPONSE TO THE NATION'S CALL FOR CODE TALKERS FOR THE WAR EFFORT. ONE OF ABOUT 20 COMANCHE INDIANS SELECTED TO PERFORM SPECIAL DUTIES USING THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE AS A CODE TO PREVENT ENEMY FORCES FROM INTERCEPTING VITAL COMBAT COMMUNICATIONS. ASSIGNED TO THE 4TH SIGNAL COMPANY, 4TH (MOTORIZED)INFANTRY 'IVY' DIVISION AT FORT BENNING, COLUMBUS, GEORGIA IN JANUARY 1941. THERE HE RECEIVED TRAINING IN MORSE CODE AND OTHER STANDARD ARMY COMMUNICATIONS TECHNIQUES AND HELPED DEVELOP THE UNIQUE COMANCHE CODE. PARTICIPATED WITH HIS DIVISION IN THE IV CORPS LOUISIANA MANEUVERS AND 1ST ARMY CAROLINA MANEUVERS IN 1941. STATIONED AT CAMP GORDON, AUGUSTA, GEORGIA AND WENT TO THE CAROLINA MANEUVER AREA FOR TRAINING IN 1942. MOVED TO FORT DIX, WRIGHTSTOWN, NEW JERSEY WITH HIS UNIT AND TRAINED AT CAMP GORDON JOHNSON, FLORIDA DURING THE III CORPS CARRABELLE MANEUVERS IN 1943. RELOCATED TO FORT JACKSON, COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA IN DECEMBER, 1943 AND STAGED AT CAMP KILMER, NEW JERSEY IN JANUARY, 1944 AWAITING OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENT. SHIPPED OUT OF THE NEW YORK PORT OF EMBARKATION JANUARY 18, 1944 AND ARRIVED IN ENGLAND ON JANUARY 26, 1944. SERVED IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER. TOOK PART IN THE ASSAULT LANDING AT UTAH BEACH, NORMANDY, FRANCE WITH THE 4TH DIVISION ON D-DAY, JUNE 6, 1944. PARTICIPATED IN THE NORMANDY, NORTHERN FRANCE, RHINELAND, ARDENNES-ALSACE (BATTLE OF THE BULGE), AND CENTRAL EUROPE CAMPAIGNS. AWARDED THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN DEFENSE MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. HONORABLY DISCHARGED FOLLOWING THE WAR AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON. IN 1989, THE FRENCH CONSUL NAMED HIM A KNIGHT OF THE NATIONAL ORDER OF MERIT AND AWARDED HIM THE CHEVALIER DE L'ORDRE NATIONAL DU MERIT IN RECOGNITION OF HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EUROPEAN WAR EFFORT. IN 1999, THE PENTAGON AWARDED HIM THE KNOWLTON AWARD FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO MILITARY INTELLIGENCE EFFORTS DURING THE WAR.