When World War I commenced, Americans of every color and creed answered the call. Among these, Native Americans served in great proportion, with an estimated 12,000 serving in the United States Army. Many Native American soldiers joined the 36th Division, where they were tasked with sending encrypted messages between Allied Forces, which the Central Powers were never able to decode. Despite the fact that many aided the U.S. war effort, not all of them were recognized as citizens and it took until 1924 to for all Native Americans to receive citizenship rights in the United States.
