Navajo Code Talkers

When World War II began, the U.S. Government saw the need for more secret communications. The military needed a code that was unbreakable. There were several non-Indian's living within the Navajo Reservation. Most of the non-Indian's were owner's of trading posts, missionary and governmental employees. Philip Johnston, the son of a Protestant missionary, spent much of his childhood on the Navajo reservation. He grew up among the Navajo children, learning their language and their customs. As an adult, Johnston became an engineer for the city of Los Angeles but also spent a considerable amount of his time lecturing about the Navajos. It was he who had brought the idea to the U.S. Government of the need for a secret code to be used by the military.

The Navajo language was an excellent choice for the task, since there were no Navajo People living outside of the United States and the language had never been studied by ethno-linguists. Prior to World War II, no known German or Japanese scientist studied the Navajo language. Moreover, the complex syntax of the language, paired with its elusive pronunciation provided a reliable protection against the Japanese decoders. In most cases, the decoders who were overhearing the transmissions were not even able to write down what they heard, not to speak of deciphering it.

As Mr. Johnson surmised, The Navajo People, being isolated with no written language, would be a great resource to help the military gain an advantage in communicating with others in World War II. With time, patience and perseverance, the military was granted permission to recruit 200 Marines to become Code Talkers. At the time, the entire Navajo nation consisted of 50,000 people and by the end of the war 420 Navajo men worked as code talkers.

The initial code consisted of translations for 411 English terms most frequently used in military conversations. Included in the list were terms for officers, terms for airplanes, terms for months, and an extensive general vocabulary. Also included were Navajo equivalents for the English alphabet so that the code talkers could spell out names or specific places.

On the battlefield, the code was never written down, it was always spoken. In training, they had been repeatedly drilled with all 411 terms. The Navajo code talkers had to be able to send and receive the code as fast as possible. There was no time for hesitation.

After the war ended, the Navajo Code Talkers were forgotten and the majority of the general population knew very little about them. It was only in July 2001, more than half a century after the end of the war, the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers who developed the code were given the Gold Congressional Medal of Honor in Washington, DC. Only 5 of them were still alive. A few months later, the remaining 400 Navajo Code Talkers received the Silver Congressional Medal of Honor in Window Rock, Arizona. Unfortunately, most of them did not live to see the recognition.

The Navajo Code Talkers Congressional Gold Medal.

On July 26, 2001, President George W. Bush presented these medals to honor the 29 Navajo Code Talkers of World War II. In a separate ceremony, each Navajo who trained and qualified as a Code Talker, or a surviving family member, were presented with a silver medal.



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