On Saturday, April 26, the Ho-Chunk Nation held a special ceremony to celebrate the official designation of a memorial highway honoring tribal members who served as code talkers during World War II.

     The event marked the culmination of years of research and advocacy to recognize these veterans whose contributions were once classified and largely unknown.

     The newly designated “Ho-Chunk World War II Code Talkers Memorial Highway” spans Interstate 90 from the Minnesota-Wisconsin state line in La Crosse County to the intersection of I-90 and I-94 in Monroe County.

     This corridor passes through the Ho-Chunk Nation’s ancestral homelands and areas with significant tribal populations.

     The designation was made official when Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed Senate Bill 633 into law in March 2024, now known as 2023 Wisconsin Act 216.

     During the ceremony, Ho-Chunk Nation President Jon Greendeer emphasized the vital role these veterans played in the war effort.

     "They provided a unique service to the United States Army and other armed forces out there to basically create a code that could not be cracked by any of our enemies or any of our attackers," Greendeer said. "They played an instrumental role and proved a value and probably saved the lives of hundreds and hundreds of men and women in service at that time."

     For decades, the identities and contributions of the Ho-Chunk code talkers remained obscured due to the classified nature of their work. The effort to bring their stories to light began in earnest in 2012 when Sandy Winneshiek, then the Ho-Chunk Nation Tribal Veterans Service Officer, discovered a 1995 memo listing seven World War II veterans as “Possible Code Talkers.”

     Her persistent research led to the Department of Defense officially recognizing 14 Ho-Chunk veterans as code talkers.

     These 14 individuals were honored with Congressional Gold and Silver Medals in ceremonies held in Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin Dells.

     The recognition not only honored their military service but also highlighted the importance of preserving the Ho-Chunk language and culture.

     "This sign recognizes and acknowledges the brave history of the Ho-Chunk Code Talkers in our shared story and history, shining a light on these individuals’ tremendous lives and service for future generations to learn about, appreciate, and honor,” Evers said. “Here in Wisconsin, we will choose to embrace rather than erase this history and the contributions of the Ho-Chunk Nation and its citizens."

     The legislation not only names the 14 recognized code talkers but also includes provisions to honor any other unidentified Ho-Chunk World War II code talkers, ensuring that future discoveries can be appropriately acknowledged.

     While the Navajo code talkers are perhaps the most well-known, many Native American tribes contributed to secure communications during World Wars I and II.

     Tribes such as the Choctaw, Comanche, and Meskwaki also had members who served as code talkers, using their native languages to transmit unbreakable codes. These efforts were crucial in various military operations and saved countless lives.

     As travelers journey along this stretch of Interstate 90, they will now encounter signs that not only mark a route but also tell a story of bravery, ingenuity, and the enduring legacy of the Ho-Chunk Nation.