Navajo Code Talkers created an unbreakable code. It helped win World War II

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.

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.

"In the early part of World War II, the enemy was breaking every military code that was being used in the Pacific. This created a huge problem for strategizing against the enemies. Eventually, a suggestion was made in early 1942 to use Navajo language as a code," Navajo Code Talker and Navajo Code Talkers Association President Peter MacDonald said during an appearance at the White House in 2017.

Aug. 14 is National Code Talkers Day. Here are some important facts to know about the Navajo Code Talkers:

How did the Navajo Code Talkers start?

The idea for using the Navajo language as a military code came from Philip Johnston in 1942. He was a World War I veteran and the son of a missionary who lived on the Navajo Nation. According to the National Archives and Records, Johnston got the idea after reading an article that talked about how the Army used Native American soldiers as signalmen during training maneuvers.

His experience growing up with Navajo language and culture is what led him to suggest it be used as a military code, noting that the language was unknown among other tribes and the public. Johnston went to the Naval Office in Los Angeles, California, and was referred to Major James E. Jones at Camp Elliot in San Diego. Jones was skeptical about the idea until Johnston spoke a few Navajo words to him and was asked to do a trial run with Navajo people.

On March 6, 1942, Major Gen. Clayton B. Vogel issued a letter supporting an effort to recruit 200 Navajo men for the U.S. Marines. He stressed that the Navajo language is complex and remained mostly unwritten. Vogel's recommendation came after successful tests of the Navajo language were conducted at Camp Elliot in San Diego, California, on Feb. 28, 1942, when four Navajo speakers demonstrated sending and receiving six messages coded in the Navajo language.

The initial recruitment of Navajo Code Talkers was approved, but the Navajo men would have to meet the regular qualifications for enlistment, go through the seven-week training and meet the linguistic requirements of both English and Navajo.

On May 5, 1942, 29 Navajo men arrived at the Recruit Depot in San Diego for basic training. That was followed by intensive courses in transmitting messages and radio operation at the Fleet Marine Force Training Center at Camp Elliot. The 29 recruits developed the code with communications personnel during this training.

What was the Navajo radio code?

The Navajo radio code comprised words selected from the Navajo language and applied to military phrases. The initial code featured 211 terms, and during the course of World War II, it expanded to 411. The Navajo language has no military terminology, and most of the code developed was new and instilled with military meaning. For example, the Navajo word used for ships was "Toh-Dineh-ih," which means Sea Force.

Along with the code terms, the Navajo Code Talkers developed an alphabet system using Navajo words. The Navajo words, when translated into English, would spell out one of the 26 letters in the alphabet. Before the end of the war, the alphabet was expanded to 44 words by assigning more words to frequently repeated letters.

Who were the original Code Talkers?

In 1942, the U.S. Marines recruited 29 Navajo men to be Navajo Code Talkers. Each recruit had to meet the general qualifications of a Marine as well as be fluent in Navajo and English. The recruits were brought to the Recruit Depot in San Diego on May 5 for seven weeks of basic training. Once finished, the soldiers were moved to Fleet Marine Force Training Center at Camp Elliott in San Diego. It was there that the 29 men underwent intense special courses for message transmissions and radio operation, and developed the code used during the war.

The original 29 Navajo Code Talkers were Charlie Sosie Begay, Roy Begay, Samuel H. Begay, John Ashi Benally, Wilsie Bitsie, Cosey Stanley Brown, John Brown Jr., John Chee, Benjamin Cleveland, Eugene Crawford, David Curley, Lowell Damon, George Dennison, James Dixon, William McCabe, Carl Gorman, Oscar Ilthma, Allen June, Alfred Leonard, James Manuelito Sr., Chester Nez, Jack Nez, Lloyd Oliver, Frank Pete, Balmer Slowtalker, Nelson Thompson, Harry Tsosie, John Willfe Jr. and Yazzie William.

The Navajo Code Talker program was classified and remained that way until 1968. In 2001, the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and all others were awarded Congressional Silver Medals.

How many Code Talkers are still alive?

Three Navajo Code Talkers are still alive. The original 29 Code Talkers have all died, and the total number of Navajo Code Talkers that served in the U.S. Marines is not known. It is estimated between 350 to 420.

It is difficult to ascertain an exact number because all the Code Talkers didn't serve together, they were assigned to different divisions in the U.S. Marines, said Peter MacDonald, a Navajo Code Talker, and president of the Navajo Code Talkers Association.

MORE: Alfred Newman, one of last surviving Navajo Code Talkers, dies at 94

The Navajo Code Talkers who are still alive include Thomas H. Begay, John Kinsel Sr. and Peter MacDonald. Samuel Sandoval was one of the last remaining Code Talkers; he died at 89 in July 2022.

Why were the Navajo Code Talkers so effective?

The Navajo Code Talkers were successful because they provided a fast, secure and error-free line of communication by telephone and radio during World War II in the Pacific. The 29 initial recruits developed an unbreakable code, and they were successfully trained to transmit the code under intense conditions.

MacDonald said that half of the 29 were shipped overseas to join the first division of the U.S. Marines because they were prepping their first offensive move in the Pacific arena, which was on Guadalcanal.

Once the Navajo Code Talkers proved to be successful in the field, more were recruited. It is estimated that more than 400 Navajo men served as Code Talkers during World War II.

On Aug. 7, 1942, the first Marine division hit the beaches of Guadalcanal with 15 Navajo Code Talkers, MacDonald said. "This was the first battle where the Navajo code would be tested in actual battle."

How were the Code Talkers honored?

The Navajo Code Talkers returned from World War II without praise or parades to welcome them home. Even after the program was declassified in 1968, the Navajo Code Talkers' role was not widely shared.

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.

An annual celebration for Navajo Code Talkers Day is held on the Navajo Nation each year in Window Rock, Arizona. For more information about the Navajo Code Talkers, visit the website for the Navajo Code Talkers Association at navajocodetalkers.codes.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Navajo Code Talkers facts: Significance of an unbreakable code