Navajo Nation honors Code Talkers on special day

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John Kinsel, Sr., seated, receives keys to the renovated home he built in Lukachukai, on the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation, on July 31, 2024. Photo courtesy Navajo Nation Office of President and Vice President

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Indianz.Com

The Navajo Nation is celebrating the sacrifices and contributions of tribal citizens who served as Code Talkers during World War II.

During the worldwide conflict, Navajo citizens who enlisted in the Marine Corps used the Navajo language to develop an unbreakable code. Their efforts helped the United States and its allies win the war.

“The use of Diné bizaad, our sacred language, to safeguard our freedom serves as a profound example for us all,” Speaker Crystalyne Curley of the Navajo Nation Council, the tribe’s legislative body, said in a news release on Wednesday. “On the front lines of the most historic battles, the young Diné Marines used our language to protect soldiers and our homeland.”

“Our language is powerful and sacred. It’s important that we teach our language to our younger generations to sustain our identity and strengthen our people,” Speaker Curley added.

Navajo Code Talkers: A History of Code Making and Breaking in World War II

The service of the Navajo Code Talkers, as well as those from other tribal nations who used their languages to transmit secret messages during times of conflict, was long unknown to the general public. That began to change when then-president Ronald Reagan declared the first Navajo Code Talker Day on August 14, 1982.

But of the 29 Navajo citizens who served as the original Code Talkers, all have passed on. Chester Nez, the last survivor of the first group, was laid to rest in June 2014.

And of the hundreds of Navajo citizens who followed in the footsteps of the original Code Talkers, only a handful are still alive.

“Today, we are fortunate to still have three Navajo Code Talkers with us, Thomas H. Begay, John Kinsel, Sr., and former Navajo Tribal Chairman Peter MacDonald, Sr.,” said Curley. “We also offer our prayers to the families of the Code Talkers who have passed on over the years.”

At 107 years old, Kinsel is the oldest Navajo Code Talker. Just two weeks ago, he was able to move back into the home that he built in 1950, thanks to renovations provided by the tribe.

“Mr. Kinsel fought for all of us,” President Buu Nygren said by video as the keys were turned over to Kinsel on July 31. “He used our language to protect us and keep us alive to this day. He deserves these upgrades to his home. The renovations needed to happen a long time ago.”

In July 2001, the U.S. government awarded Congressional Gold Medals to the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers. Silver Medals were awarded to those who followed the first group in service.

The Navajo Nation is hosting a celebration for Navajo Code Talkers Day in Window Rock, Arizona, the tribal capital. Livestreams are being provided on social media by President Nygren and the Navajo Nation Council.