really got recognized until later. And you can talk to a lot of
people and they will argue and be damned that there were none
in World War I, that it was only in World War II. No, that’s not
right. They [the Choctaw] were in World War I. … [But] I think
it’s a nice honor, and I think it was a long time in coming. It’s
just something to say they were part of history.”
Referring to her great-grandfather’s generation, Ruth Hooker
said, “At that time, being Native American was something you
didn’t brag about. Today it’s popular and acceptable, neat, what-
ever, to be Native American, but at that particular time it was
not.” So the recognition, late as it may have been, she believes is
well-deserved.
Asked if she self-identifies as Native American, Hooker said,
“Totally!” and referred to herself as a “card-carrying Indian.” A
catch phrase used on T-shirts, etc., at her restaurant in the Fort
Worth Stockyards, Hooker’s Grill, is in Choctaw and translates
“till we meet again.” The Choctaw have no word for goodbye,
she said.
“They just believe that things go on, you know, even in the
afterlife,” she added. “They don’t have a word for an ending.”
One of the 19 original Choctaw code talkers, George Edwin
Davenport, was born in Finley, OK., April 28, 1887, and died
April 17, 1950. As demonstrated by the medals, his family’s
pride and this story, his memory lives on.
Two bridges have been named after the Davenport
brothers in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, located
on the Choctaw Code Talker Memorial Highway.
Let us make your event speciaL
on-site catering | Delivery anD Full-service
877.536.2626 | [email protected] | www.riomambo.com
Join us at one of our 6 DfW locations
91