FROM THE ARCHIVE
Navajo Code Talkers to get high honors
Facebook
Twitter
Email
DECEMBER 19, 2000 The Navajo Code Talkers will finally receive long-overdue recognition when they are awarded Congressional medals. The budget bill approved by Congress last Friday includes a provision to award gold medals to the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers. Silver medals would be awarded to those who followed in the footsteps of the original, who numbered over 300. Using the Dine language, the Code Talkers developed an unbreakable code used by the United States to help win World War II. Their code helped save lives of other American soldiers at the battles of Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Okinawa, among others. The Code Talkers project, along with similar ones involving the Hopi and Choctaw languages, had been kept under wraps by the government well after the war ended. When the project was declassified in 1968, the American public learned of the role American Indian soldiers played in the war. But while accolades have poured in from the rest of the country, the government itself was slow to recognize officially the Code Talkers' actions. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.Mex) helped bring the issue to the table during this year's Congressional sessions. His proposal received initial approval in the Senate's defense authorization bill in June, and after stalling in the House, it emerged as part of the huge spending bill passed on Friday. Clinton lauded the passage of the bill and it awaits his signature. Interest in the Code Talkers and their story has picked up in recent years. Two competing movies are currently in production involving the Code Talkers. The Code Talkers were also honored with a Living Legends award at the Third Annual Native American Music Awards. On Veterans Day, three representatives from the Navajo Code Talkers Association accepted the award on behalf of the others, many of whom have now passed on. The gold and silver medals will be given to a family member of the Code Talkers who have died. Related Stories:
Stars shine at NAMMYs (Arts and Entertainment 11/13)
Original Code Talker dies (The Talking Circle 06/12)
Code Talker movie breaks the bank (Arts and Entertainment 06/12)
Code Talkers proposal approved (The Talking Circle 06/09)
Navajo GI Joe hits stores (The Talking Circle 05/22)
Commanche Code Talker honored (The Talking Circle 05/17)
Bill would award medals to Code Talkers (The Talking Circle 04/13)
Advertisement
Stay Connected
Contact
Search
Trending in News
1 White House Council on Native American Affairs meets quick demise under Donald Trump
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
News Archive
About This Page
You are enjoying stories from the Indianz.Com Archive, a collection dating back to 2000. Some outgoing links may no longer work due to age.
All stories are available for publishing via Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)