SCOUTING REPORT | Remembering code talkers, Pierre’s 1800s cemetery, Main Street Caucus, man fights polar bear

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The South Dakota Federation of Republican Women commemorated the anniversary of Pearl Harbor in Pierre on Dec. 7, with Dave Flute, the secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations, giving a speech about Native American code talkers and their role in helping win World War II. Flute also sang the Lakota Flag Song in honor of Lakota veterans.

Following Flute’s speech, an American Legion color guard unit led a procession to the World War II memorial on Capitol Lake, where Rapid City lawyer Sara Frankenstein sang God Bless America. SDFRW President Catherine Barranco and President-elect Beka Zerbst placed a wreath with white flowers to represent sailors who lost their lives in the attack.

“My husband’s grandfather flew in Europe, fighting the Luftwaffe,” said Barranco, whose husband, David, is a Sioux Falls city councilor. “My grandfather fought a very different but equally important war, as an OSS agent hunting Nazi spies. Many grandmothers made victory possible, taking factory jobs, building bombers, rifles and tanks. But none of that would matter if the enemy could decode our messages and unlock our defenses. We were honored to hear about the code talkers: vital warriors — several from South Dakota — whose unique skillset was critical to Allied victory.”

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