Clarence Wolf Guts
The other day in a post Jonn gave us about Edith Shain . Reader 509th Bob left a comment regarding the passing of the last of the Oglala Lakota code talkers and I thought it merited it’s own post.
Clarence Wolf Guts was the last of the Oglala Lakota code talkers. These code talkers spoke the Lakota dialect of the Souix language, the other two dialects being Nakota and Dakota.
“He’s a very unselfish hero, always complimenting somebody else,” [Donald E.]Loudner said. “He always said to me ‘I never did anything great, I was just one of a team.’”
Sound familiar?
“I knew he was an important man to people because of his activities in the Army, but I didn’t know this many people had so much respect for him,” said Don Doyle, Wolf Guts’ only son. “I’m very proud of him, and I’m very grateful to them coming all the way here to pay respects to my father.”
Most of us became familiarized with the code talkers when the government declassified material related to the code talker program in the 1990’s and a book, then movie was written regarding the code talkers called Wind Talkers. I admit, I never saw the movie because I was worried Hollywood would screw it up. The book and movie highlighted the Navajo code talkers which was a Marine program. Many people don’t realize that Indians from 15 different tribes became code talkers. Clarence was part of the Army’s code talker program and was recruited while at Ft. Rucker in Ranger training along with his cousin Iver Crow Eagle. Clarence was Maj. Gen. Paul Mueller’s personal code talker, and traveled with him and the 81st ID as the division moved from island to island in the Pacific, headed for Japan. Iver accompanied the general’s chief of staff.
Clarence was laid to rest on June 23rd, God Bless and thank you Sir.
ht; 509th Bob
Category: Blue Skies, Real Soldiers
I’ll admit shameful ignorance of how little I knew regarding how important a role the codetalkers played in WWII. While I did know a bit about the Navajo talkers (going to HS in NM on the edge of the Navajo reservation and all), but I didn’t recall history ever talking about the other tribes and their contributions to the other branches of the service in WWII.
A condition which I hope is remedied quickly.
Pilamayaye, Clarence Wolf Guts. Akicita, istime kici wowahwa.
Sparky,
I was the same way when I started writing this a couple of days ago. The more research I did, the more I had to delete and redo on this post.
Tim,
I’d love to know what you wrote?
“I admit, I never saw the movie because I was worried Hollywood would screw it up.”
Yeah, they did. It’s too bad. Very interesting story about the Code Talkers. That movie with Nick Cage was so bad I shut it off. Absolutely awful. I rented it on DVD for like three bucks, and even that was too much. I would have been pissed as hell if I’d paid ten dollars to see it in the theaters.
Hollywood usually fails to capture the military the right way. Every time I see an advertisement for a film starring a big Hollywood actor portraying a soldier (or Marine, whatever), I groan. Jake Gyllenhal in Jarhead? Crap. Matt Damon in Green Zone? I wouldn’t pay a nickel to see that one.
Old Tanker,
Basically, “Well Done, Clarence Wolf Guts, sleep in peace.”
My Dad used to take me up to the Pine Ridge reservation every summer for the Sun Dance. I speak enough Lakota to get me arrested. 🙂
Or at least to give the locals a good laugh at my attempts.
Thanks Tim!
Ben,
Thanks for the warning. After reading up on all this I was half tempted to go rent the movie, I won’t now. I like Nick Cage but a method actor playing Marine? That just can’t be good…
In some of the things I was able to read Clarence said that in the back of their minds (the code talkers) they always wondered that if they were over run by Japanese were their bodyguards (Clarence had 2) ordered to kill them to keep them from falling into enemy hands. How would you like to know that YOU were the top secret?
OT,
FWIW, I enjoyed the movie. I’m not certain that I would rent it again, but it was pretty good the first time around.
respects,
HOOAH! Clarence.
What a great contribution to the country.
Fair Winds and Following Seas to you Clarence.
Dear Dipshit–that wasn’t part of the movie. That was a real order. You DO understand that had any of them been captured, the entire code would have been broken, don’t you? One life versus how many that would have been killed due to compromise?
Jesus you’re a dumbfuck.
The Japanese certainly would never have tortured them to get the code…..and then killed them….