Alicia Costello & Ta'Na Alexander (THC & CCTA) – Language as a Tool for Victory

"This story was never lost. It was just waiting to be told."This week, we speak with Alicia Costello, a historian with the Texas Historical Commission, and Ta'Na Alexander, a descendant of an original Choctaw Code Talker. We delve into the collaborative effort to establish a historical marker in Fort Worth that honors the Native soldiers of the 142nd Infantry who utilized a code that was never broken.In this episode:- Discover the significance of the Camp Bowie marker, located on the very grounds where Choctaw soldiers trained in 1917 before deploying to provide a critical advantage in the Great War- Learn about the "Under-Told Markers" program, a special initiative by the Texas Historical Commission that funds markers for stories historically overlooked or missing from the landscape- Understand the legacy of the Telephone Warriors, whose contributions remained a classified secret for decades until public recognition began to flourish following a 1989 visit from the French government