Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site celebrates Veterans Day November 10-11 with a special exhibit of American War uniforms and a special presentation on Native American Code Talkers by Retired USN Intelligence Officer HB Puckett.

The Veterans Event: First Time Ever Exhibition of American War uniforms will be open Nov. 10 and 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features U.S. Army Infantry uniforms with weapons and accouterments for all the major U.S. wars from the Revolutionary War to Desert Storm.

All weapons are original to the period depicted, along with a number of the accouterments. A total of 10 American Wars are represented using 11 mannequins.

The Native American Code Talker presentation will be held at Kearney Hall Nov. 10, at 2 p.m. and is free to the public.

Retired USN Intelligence Officer HB Puckett will discuss the U.S. Marine Corps’ enlistment of Navajo Soldiers as code talkers for secure tactical communications in World War II’s Pacific Theater. These Navajo Soldiers have been the subject of popular books and films in recent years.

What is not as widely known is that more than 30 Native American languages were used in similar fashion by native speakers, to include Northern Plains tribes, by U.S. armed forces in both World Wars. This will be an overview of how those brave servicemen were recruited, trained, and employed, and the amazing contributions of their unbreakable communications in battle.

Fort Phil Kearny is located off I-90 at Exit 44.

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