Phoenix Indian Center to honor heroes on Navajo Code Talkers Day

The Marine Corps began recruiting Navajo men in 1942.

PUBLISHED AUG 13, 2024

In 2000, the original 29 Code Talkers were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Phoenix, Arizona: The Phoenix Indian Center will celebrate Navajo Code Talkers Day on August 14, by paying tribute to the code talkers so instrumental in defeating Axis forces in World War 2.

How were the Navajo Code talkers formed?

The idea to use the Navajo language for military code came from Philip Johnston, a civil engineer and World War I veteran who was familiar with the language due to his upbringing on a Navajo reservation. He proposed the idea to the US Marine Corps in 1942, recognizing that Navajo was an unwritten and complex language, making it an ideal basis for a code that would be nearly impossible for enemies to decipher.

The Marine Corps began recruiting Navajo men in 1942. The initial group of 29 Navajo recruits, known as the 'First 29', were tasked with creating the code. They developed a system that assigned Navajo words to military terms, including an alphabet system for spelling out words that had no direct translation.

Navajo code talker veteran Thomas Begay with a framed picture commemorating National Navajo Code Talkers Day.

Why was this code so successful?

The Navajo code was unique in its structure. It used common Navajo words to represent letters, terms, and military phrases. For instance, the word for "turtle" was used to represent a tank, and the word for "chicken hawk" represented a dive bomber. The code was highly secure because Navajo was an unwritten language with a limited number of speakers outside the Navajo Nation.

What impact did the Code Talkers have in WW2?

The Navajo Code Talkers were deployed in the Pacific Theater, where they played a vital role in key battles such as Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Okinawa. They were responsible for transmitting messages about troop movements, orders, and other critical information. Their work was done under extreme conditions, often in the midst of combat. The code they developed was never broken by the Japanese, giving the US a significant advantage in the war.

Pfc. Preston Toledo and Pfc. Frank Toledo, Navajo cousins in a Marine artillery regiment in the South Pacific, relay orders over a field radio in their native tongue. (Photo: National Archives)

Why did it take so long for the Code Talkers to get the recognition they deserved?

The work of the Navajo Code Talkers was classified for many years after the war, and they were not publicly recognized for their contributions until decades later. In 2000, the original 29 Code Talkers were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, and subsequent Code Talkers received the Congressional Silver Medal.