Native American ‘code talker’ Gilbert Horn Sr dies at 92

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Gilbert Horn Sr., a World War II veteran honored for his service as a Native American code talker, has died of natural causes. He was 92.

Kirkwood Funeral Home says Horn died Sunday at Northern Montana Care Center in Havre. He is survived by 10 of his 11 children.

Horn was born on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in 1923. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at 17. He joined other Indians who used their native languages to send coded messages during World War II.

The Great Falls Tribune reported Horn also was a member of Merrill’s Marauders, whose mission was to cut Japanese communications and supply lines in the Burmese jungle. He received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

He served on the Fort Belknap tribal council for 19 years and was a tribal judge for eight years.