Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, says the stories shared at Saturday's Congressional Medal Ceremony honoring the Akwesasne Mohawk code talkers underscore the true meaning of Memorial Day observances.

Twenty-four Mohawks, including the lone surviving code talker, Louis Levi Oakes, were honored during a ceremony that drew approximately 500 people to the Travis Solomon Memorial Lacrosse Box at Generations Park in Akwesasne.

Congressional medals were awarded to family members of the other 23 code talkers, with the awards being accepted by ranging from wives and sons and daughters to grandchildren and a great-nephew.

"Their skills were central to the success of our military efforts, andthose of our allies, in preserving the principles of a just and fair society," Assemblywoman Russell said.

"Those being honored served in the strongest traditions of American heroes, and, most importantly, the strongest traditions of the Mohawk nation," she added.

"The warrrior culture from which they descend is long and celebrated, but it emanates from a society ruled by collective decision making, with reliance upon allies with similar concerns and shared values - with women playing extremely imporant roles within the community. While the warrior is a vital necessity to preserve an protect the society, its use is aimed at a balance to provide for an everlasting peace and prosperity for its people," Assemblywoman Russell suggested.

She acknowledged the federal govenment had launched a program in the 19th Century to send Mohawk students to federal boarding institutions as part of an effort designed to separate those young men and women from their culture.

"The irony of the underlying reason we are gathered today is not lost on me. It was civil disobedience against an oppressive government that eventually proved critical to saving that government and her allies,"

Assemblywoman Russell said. She said it is humbling to reflect on the strength and tenacity of the Mohawk culture that is governed by the principles and values at the core of our representative democracy.

"It is heartening these principles can and do endure and to see, not withstanding the injustices suffered, it sent its warriors to serve the greater needs of the world," Assemblywoman Russell said.

"Today is a day we honor these individuals that made great personal sacrifice in support of the values and ideals of their longstanding society and the needs of the United States of America and her allies," she noted.

"We honor their personal strength, character and skill as they embody the wisdom, tenacity and altruisms of the great civilization that has provided for the resiliency and endurance of a legacy that we would all be better for studying," according to Assemblywoman Russell.

St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Chief Ron Lafrance Jr. noted Orlo Ransom had come up with the initial list of 24 Mohawks who spoke the language when they served in the armed forces during World War II.

"It's about time our elders and their families are recognized for the valiant efforts they made in securing the peace," Chief Lafrance said.

American Indians used their native languages to send coded messages that could not be deciphered by enemy code breakers, Navajo code talkers gained the most fame during wartime, working in the European and Pacific theaters with the U.S. Marines.

But 33 tribes were represented in the ranks of code talkers, including Akwesasne Mohawks.

Congress passed the Code Talkers Recognition Act in 2008 to honor the achievements and service of these important Indian troops, and the U.S. Mint created specially designed medals in honor of each tribe’s contribution to the war effort.

Efforts began to honor members of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe in 2012 by first verifying the service records of men who were believed to have served as code talkers.

Their names were included on the government’s Certified Federal Registry to make them eligible for the congressional medals.

St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council Communications Director Brendan White said per capita Native Americans traditionally have sent the largest percentage of its people to serve in the armed forces.

He also pointed out during the weeks leading up to the code talkers ceremony he had an opportunity to review the honorable discharge papers, commendations and citations for the men being honored.

“These are stories that the code talker could have written themselves and shared with their family members. Stories that were shared with their commanding officers, and I have to tell you, they are more than just code talkers, they are heroes,” Mr. White said.

American Legion Post 1479 Commander Michael R. Cook said members of the armed forces from Akwesasne had fought in the Pacific, Central Europe, Italy and Northern Africa during World War II.

"When war was declared by the United States, many men and women from Akwesasne answered that call. Some would never have the opportunity to return to Akwesasne," he said.

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-Willsboro) listed those battles fought by code talkers, and it was a map of World War II.

There were stories of two Mohawks who reunited at Normady Beach; a Mohawk who made 14 treks across the Rhine River, most after his boat had come under machine gun fire from a German post, to ferry soldiers taking part in the invasion of Germany in March 1945; and the first Mohawk paratrooper who dropped into France with his fellow members of the 82nd Airborne Division.

The soldiers fought in battles in Northern Africa and Central Europe and helped free prisoners at concentration camps.

“For too long this selfless sacrifice went unrecognized by our nation, and sadly, these heroes were instructed not to speak of their important roles in these military campaigns,” Congresswoman Stefanik said.

“For many, that meant that the families and friends of these code talkers were unaware of the contributions these patriots made to this country,” she added.

Seventeen of the men, including Mr, Oakes, received Congressional Silver

Medals. They included Mike Arquette Another seven men, whose role as code talkers has not been confirmed as code talkers by the Department of Defense, were awarded Bronze Awards. They included Joseph Robert Herne, Abe Ransom, Andrew Rourke, Peter White, Edgar Jock, Louis Ransom and Phillip Thompson.

The medal was designed by John Thompson.

One side of the coin shows a soldier armed with his M-1 infantry rifle that was standard issue during World War II. He also carries a beaded sheath for a utility knife. The code talker us surrounded by the three major clans initially associated with the Mohawk people - bear, wolf and turtle.

The reverse side of the coin features a Mohawk warrior surrounded by items representative of the Mohawks of Akwesasne. The headdress, featuring three upright eagle feathers, signifies the warrior being Mohawk.

Situated behind the warrior's likeness is the Akwesasne wolf belt, which continues to bind the Mohawks in friendship and to guide the Mohawks on the path of peace as one people.