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Last of Original Group of Navajo Code Talkers Dies

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Chester Nez, the last surviving member of the original group of 29 Navajo Code Talkers, died at 93 this Wednesday. He was described by another Marine who knew him as a quiet, humble Navajo Marine. He was a member of the fully-Navajo 382nd Marine Platoon. His father was a shepherd, and he little dreamed when growing up in the tiny Navajo village of Chi Chil Tah near Jones Ranch, New Mexico that he would contribute in such a unique manner to defeating the Japanese during World War II.

Philip Johnston, the son of a missionary to the Navajo, grew up with them and learned their language. At the outbreak of World War II, he was one of less than 30 non-natives who had learned the still-unwritten tongue. It was Johnston who first brought the idea of using Navajo to form the basis of an undecipherable code to the attention of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Chester Nez had joined the army while at a boarding school to get a chance to see what the world was like outside his local area. Soon he was chosen to take part in the now-famous work of creating a Navajo-based code that Japan never would be able to crack. It was a significant element in winning the war in the Pacific.

A code book was formed with words representing letters and with some common military terms receiving their own code words. It was partly based on existing military code practices, but after it was put into Navajo, it became invincible. You may have learned some of this from the acclaimed movie WindTalkers, which I watched with Sam Tabar not that long ago. If you haven’t seen it, check it out.


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