Navajo Code Talkers 2

The Navajo code talkers were Navajo Indians that created a special code that not even the Japanese could break. This code was designed to specifically help the U.S. army send and receive transmissions of war; telling them were to fight, how many troops died, and gave them coordinants to where bombs were to be dropped on enemy forces. These reluctant heros devoted their lives to protect the code in WWII. The Navajo indians helped in world WWII with their un-breakable code. No one could intercept U.S. military transmissions any longer. The Navajo indians played a big role in winning the war. Navajo Indians entered the war because the government asked for their help with the Navajo langauge. Philip Johnston, son of a protestant missionary, was the man that came up with the idea to base the code on the Navajo langauge. He spent most of his childhood in and learning the Navajo's ways on the Navajo reservation. The Navajo code talkers served in six different marine divisions from the period of 1942-1945.


A Navajo code talkers life: Merril Sandoval


Merril Sandoval was a hard worker in the war. His mother died when he had just begun first grade in 1931. Born in 1925, he grew up on the east side of the Navajo reservation. He learned English for the first time there. He enlisted into the marine corps 1943. After he finished boot camp, he was sent to Camp Pendleton in the 2nd and 5th marine divisions in Hawaiian, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and an occupation of Japan. After he served in the war he was discharged as a Corporal. He finished high school at Sherman Institute and Albuquerque Indian school. After, he decided to learn the trade of machinist at Haskell Institute. He worked as a machinist for 15 years with Bendix Aviation in Kansas City, Missouri and Air Research in Pheonix, Arizona. He returned to the reservation in 1964, and worked for the police department, D.N.A legal services, and as a tribal advocate and interpreter for the tribal legal courts. He and his wife went to Tuba City, Arizona were they raised two sons and three daughters. His older brother Samual Sandoval was also a code talker.


This primary source picture is of the Marine 4th Division Code talkers shortly after the invasion of Iwo Jima. It was taken on the island Maui, Hawaiin Islands in 1945. Published for the Navajo
Tribe, The Navajo Times published the picture in 1969 to announce the soldiers would be guests of honor at the 22nd Annual Banquet for the 4th Marine Division Association. A larger image can be found here. The picture shows us how dirty and tired these soldiers of war really were. The tents in the background also give some insight into how they lived. Although this is a very reliable source, the picture does not give alot of background information.



This particular picture taken in the 1940's is of young Navajo Code talkers of WWII. The article that the picture is found in was publised on the web in 2004. Although the information in the article is a secondary resource, the picture itself is a primary source because it was taken at the time of the war. The boys are holding various guns, and they're clothes are ragged and worn out.




The Japanese code breakers never broke the American code because it was not the English language scrammbled up but an entirely different language. It was a version of the Navajo Indians' language. The following website is a great primary source. The website link will take you to a version of the Navajo Code Talker's dictionary of 1945, and give you some basic understanding of their words and pronunciation. The Department of the Navy - Naval Historical Center published the dictionary for view on the internet. At the bottom of the dictionary there is The Marine Hymn in both English and the Navajo language.

There are still Navajo Indians that served in WWII alive today. Those who are, have recieved medals and have been interviewed many times. This website, is a reliable primary source created in the memory of The Navajo Indians, including their code talkers. A recomondation, click on the Code Talking at the top of the page, and this will bring you to a series of stories and interviews. The 3rd story is an interview of Chester Nez and pronuciation of letters. The whole website is audiomated with pictures and Navajo Indian music. The website was created by The National Museum of the American Indian.

On July 26, 2001 America honored 21 Navajo Code Talkers from WWII. President Bush presented these medals to the individuals with an accompaning speech about the Navajo Code Talkers. Some fifty years later, our president finally awarded these reluctant WWII heros their medals. They devoted they're time and lives to help out America in desperate times, when all of our codes were being broken by the Japanese. President Bush honors these people, only 5 left living, for their devotion and their part in serving America.

Although this source is not a primary one, it is useful to see the overall timeline of the Navajo Code Talkers. It was created in 2005 with the help of some other sources.

This letter is a primary source of a soldier requesting enlistment to work with the Navajo Indian's, in the communication unit. The letter is written by the man that suggested the use of the Navajo language as a code language for the Marines. He wrote the letter in 1942 to the Commandant of the time. The letter is a great Primary source. Another primary source is a letter of the Commaning General writing to the Commandant U.S. Marine Corps., explaining the idea of the Navajo Language as code for the use of the Marines, in 1942. The demonstration that had been held had been successful. A marine wrote down a message in English, gave it to the 1st Navajo Talker, he relayed the message to the 2nd Navajo Talker, where he wrote the message back down in English.

This is a picture taken at Fort Wingate of the first 29 Navajo Code Talkers of WWII. The picture was taken in fron of a military building in 1943. All of their right hands are raised as they take an oath and are sworn in by the officer in front of them. This picture is also found in the artice mentioned in the last picture and can be found here. the picture is a primary source of the war.