Last Akwesasne Mohawk code talker dies

AKWESASNE (WWNY) - The last Akwesasne Mohawk World War II code talker has died.

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe announced Louis Levi Oakes' passing Wednesday.

Oakes was born on the Mohawk Territory in 1925. He registered for the U.S. Army when he was 18 years old and was trained as a code talker in Louisiana along with other Akwesasne Mohawks.

Mohawk was one of 33 Native American languages used during the war to send military messages in what turned out to be an unbreakable code.

Oakes was one of 17 Akwesasne Mohawks to receive the Congressional Silver Medal for his military contributions as a Native American code talker in May 2016.

In 2018 he received the New York State Liberty Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by New York state.