On This Date In History

On August 14, 1942, during World War II, an elite team of Navajos left their homes to join the US Marine Corps and solve a communications challenge. In the Pacific, many of the US combat codes had been cracked by the Japanese army and navy, leaving US troops vulnerable to attack by Axis forces.
The idea to use Navajo for secure communications came from Philip Johnston, the son of a missionary to the Navajos and one of the few non-Navajos who spoke their language fluently. Johnston, reared on the Navajo reservation, was a World War I veteran who knew of the military's search for a code that would withstand all attempts to decipher it. He also knew that Native American languages, notably Choctaw, had been used in World War I to encode messages.
Johnston believed Navajo answered the military requirement for an undecipherable code because Navajo is an unwritten language of extreme complexity. Its syntax and tonal qualities, not to mention dialects, make it unintelligible to anyone without extensive exposure and training. It has no alphabet or symbols, and is spoken only on the Navajo lands of the American Southwest. One estimate indicates that less than 30 non-Navajos, none of them Japanese, could understand the language at the outbreak of World War II.
Early in 1942, Johnston met with Major General Clayton B. Vogel, the commanding general of Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet, and his staff to convince them of the Navajo language's value as code. Johnston staged tests under simulated combat conditions, demonstrating that Navajos could encode, transmit, and decode a three-line English message in 20 to 150 seconds. Machines of the time required 30 minutes to perform the same job. Convinced, Vogel recommended to the Commandant of the Marine Corps that the Marines recruit 200 Navajos.
In May 1942, the first 29 Navajo recruits attended boot camp. Then, at Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California, this first group created the Navajo code. They developed a dictionary and numerous words for military terms. The dictionary and all code words had to be memorized during training.
Once a Navajo code talker completed his training, he was sent to a Marine unit deployed in the Pacific theater. The code talkers' primary job was to talk, transmitting information on tactics and troop movements, orders and other vital battlefield communications over telephones and radios. They also acted as messengers, and performed general Marine duties.
Some say the US might not have prevailed in the fiercely fought Battle of Iwo Jima had it not been for the achievements of the Navajo Code Talkers. And yet, their contributions would go unknown until the program was finally declassified in 1968. Since 1982, August 14 is celebrated as Navajo Code Talkers Day to commemorate the elite team as well as other Native Americans and First Nations people who had developed codes used in WWII and other conflicts.

 

The first 29 Navajo Code Talkers sworn in to the US Marine Corp at Camp Wingate, NM

Navajo Code Talkers at Camp Pendleton, CA - 1942

Aug. 14. 2021. Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation on Monday making the observance official.
In 1982, President Ronald Reagan declared Aug. 14 as National Code Talkers Day. In 2000, the Honoring the Navajo Code Talkers Act was signed into law, and by 2001, the Navajo Code Talkers were honored with Congressional Gold and Silver Medals.
“The Navajo Code Talkers are American heroes,” Gov. Doug Ducey said in a news release.
"Arizona is grateful for their dedication to protecting our nation," he added. "I’m proud to sign legislation that makes National Navajo Code Talkers day an official Arizona holiday."
In 1942, 29 Navajo men joined the U.S. Marines and developed an unbreakable code that would be used across the Pacific during World War II. They were the Navajo Code Talkers.
"My sincere appreciation to the State of Arizona for honoring the Navajo Code Talkers who all served honorably during WWII to preserve our freedom," said Navajo Code Talker Thomas H. Begay," he added. "Semper Fi."
The Navajo Code Talkers participated in all assaults the U.S. Marines led in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945, including Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleliu and Iwo Jima. The Code Talkers conveyed messages by telephone and radio in their native language, a code that was never broken by the Japanese.
The original 29 Code Talkers have all died. The total number of Navajo Code Talkers who served in the U.S. Marines is not known, but it is estimated at between 350 to 420.
There are only four living Navajo Code Talkers: John Kinsel Sr., Samuel Sandoval, Thomas H. Begay and Peter MacDonald.
As part of the bill, if National Navajo Code Talkers Day falls on a day other than Sunday, the Sunday following Aug. 14 is to be observed as the holiday.
An annual celebration for Navajo Code Talkers Day is held on the Navajo Nation each year in Window Rock.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said it's wonderful that the state of Arizona is honoring and recognizing the sacrifices and contributions of the Navajo Code Talkers.
"It’s long overdue," he said. "We only have a few Navajo Code Talkers with us to this day, but we pay tribute to all of them and their families."
"Their legacy is strengthened with today’s signing of this bill and we hope that this will also help to share the stories of our Code Talkers so that many more people throughout the state are aware of everything that they gave for our country," he added.
Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer said the Navajo people have had many warriors throughout Navajo history, but the state's recognition of the Navajo Code Talkers is very special.
"We appreciate the support of the state legislators and Gov. Ducey," Lizer said. "Words will never be enough to express our admiration and appreciation for the Navajo Code Talkers, but today’s signing of Senate Bill 1802 is a great honor."