Des Moines, Iowa (AP)

Eight Meskwaki tribal members may soon receive congressional gold medals for helping the United States track enemy forces during World War II.

The U.S. Senate on Sept. 20 passed a measure that would allow Congress to honor all American Indians who served as Code Talkers during the 20th century, said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. The bill needs approval from the House and President Bush.

“The Meskwaki were intensely involved in World War II, and it only makes sense that they get the recognition that they have long deserved,” said Grassley, who co-sponsored the measure when it was first introduced last year. “Native Americans from all across the country made sacrifices and they should not be forgotten.”

The Meskwaki, whose settlement is based in Tama County, were among those from 18 tribes who used their language as a secret code during World War II. The U.S. military used the code to communicate enemy troop movements, direct artillery fire and other secret information through walkie-talkies. The codes were never cracked by enemy forces.

The code talkers’ achievements went largely unnoticed because the code was classified until 1968. Twenty-nine original Navajo code talkers were presented with the Congressional Gold Medal by President Bush in 2001. Others who qualified as code talkers received the Congressional Silver Medal.

The Meskwakis, all of whom have died, never received that recognition. They were assigned to missions in Algeria, Tunisia and Italy.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, honored six of the Meskwaki code talkers with medals last year. He credited the United States’ success in northern Africa to “the heroism of the code talkers and the valuable information they sent back.”

Grassley said the legislation lists the names of the Meskwaki code talkers. They include Dewey Youngbear, Edward Benson, Dewey Roberts, Melvin Twin, Judie Carl Wayne, Mike Wayne, Wayne Sanache and Frank Sanache.

The Navajo code talkers are perhaps the best known code talkers. The Navajo Tribe contributed more than 350 code talkers to the war, some of whom inspired the 2002 Hollywood movie Windtalkers.