Samuel “Jesse” Smith, Sr.

Samuel "Jesse" Smith, a Code Talker from the Navajo Nation, died on Monday. He was 88.

Smith joined the U.S. Marine Corps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He planned to become a pilot but was instead recruited to transmit codes using the Navajo language.

“The Navajo Nation is saddened to hear that we lost another wonderful hero and role model to our people. He set a positive example for us to follow and we offer our prayers and condolences to his family," President Ben Shelly said in a press release.

Smith died at a hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He succumbed to pneumonia, his son Michael Smith said.

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