National Navajo Code Talker Day: Remembering the impact Code Talkers had in World War II

Aug. 14 is National Navajo Code Talker Day, an annual celebration recognizing the Code Talkers who served with the U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific theater during World War II.

The designation was created by President Ronald Reagan in 1982 and, this year, it falls on the 80th anniversary of Japan’s initial surrender in World War II.

In honor of Navajo Code Talker Day, a new monument was unveiled in Utah. Here’s a look at what the Code Talkers did for the U.S. military during World War II.

Who were the Navajo Code Talkers?

The Navajo Code Talkers were deployed into battle to help the U.S. military send encrypted messages that were undecipherable by enemy forces, per CNN. There were over 400 Navajo Code Talkers that were sent to the Pacific during World War II.

These Code Talkers operated alongside Marines at pivotal battles such as those at Iwo Jima, Saipan, Guam and Tinian.

“Their code proved vital: it was never cracked by the Japanese, and allowed US troops to organize their movements without the enemy’s knowledge,” per CNN.

Of the more than 400 Navajo Code Talkers who served in the Pacific in World War II, just two are still alive today: Peter MacDonald, who is 96 years old, and Thomas Begay, who is 100. Both are from Window Rock, Arizona.

The idea was originally proposed to the Marines by Philip Johnston, an engineer who had grown up alongside Navajo children, per CNN. The program was established in 1942.

According to KSL TV, “At a time when U.S. government policies sought to erase Indigenous languages and traditions, Native American soldiers were being asked to use those very languages to protect the nation through the Navajo Code Talker Program.”

The Navajo language was ideal for this purpose, because it was nearly indecipherable and virtually no one outside the Navajo Nation spoke the language.

In order to relay encrypted messages, the Code Talkers developed a complicated and extensive code based on their language, substituting other words for key military terms that were not a part of the language.

For example, the Navajo word for turtle was used for tank and the word for hummingbird was used for fighter plane. According to CNN, in some cases, they were forced to invent new words altogether.

The Code Talker program remained a secret for years until it was declassified in 1968, when the public and families of the Code Talkers learned about their role in the war.

Monument to the Navajo Code Talkers planned in Utah

A monument to Navajo Code Talkers is planned for a memorial park in West Valley, Utah.

The monument, inside the Utah Veteran Memorial, is a sculpture of Marine Allen Dale June and serves as a “powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by Native Americans during wartime,” per KSL TV.

June was one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers who worked to devise Navajo words for modern military terms that were not part of their language.

“Some of them may not have agreed with the government or its policies,” said Prestine K. James, whose uncle and grandfather served as Code Talkers, per KSL TV. “But they were protecting their land — even though it was stolen from them. It was sacred for them no matter who has it.”

Dreams of a Code Talker museum

For years, MacDonald and other Code Talkers have campaigned for a museum dedicated to the Code Talkers, but the project remains out of reach, per CNN.

The museum would take tens of millions of dollars to become a reality.

“I don’t believe people understand this tremendous contribution to the battle in the Pacific War,” MacDonald said, per CNN. “It made all the difference in the world.”

There are small exhibits relating to the Code Talkers in museums in Tuba City, Arizona, and in Gallup, New Mexico. For several years, one of the best collections of artifacts dedicated to the Code Talkers was found in a Burger King in Kayenta, Arizona.

Other Native American tribes and nations also had code talkers

While the Navajo Code Talkers are the most well known, there were other Native American tribes who also had their own code talkers that served in both World War I and World War II.

“Code talkers were useful because their languages weren’t understood by enemy forces and the code talkers could transmit secret messages to and from the battlefield without being deciphered,” per the Department of Defense.

Code talkers in World War I included men from the Choctaw, Cherokee, Comanche, Osage, Lakota and Cheyenne nations.

During World War II, while Navajo Code Talkers were serving in the Pacific theater, there were code talkers from the Comanche, Lakota, Muscogee, Mohawk, Meskwaki, Tlingit, Hopi, Cree, Crow and Choctaw Nations serving in the European theater with the Army.

In 2008, the Code Talker Recognition Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The law recognizes around 50 Native American tribes who served as code talkers in both world wars, according to the Department of Defense.