Preview

Essay On Navajo Code Talkers

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1790 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay On Navajo Code Talkers
Today, these men are recognized as the famous Navajo Code Talkers, who exemplify the unequaled bravery and patriotism of the Navajo people. These Navajo men were selected to create codes and serve on the front line to overcome and deceive those on the other side of the battlefield (Discover Navajo). However, “unknown to many, the Navajo language was used to create a secret code to battle the Japanese. A lot of visitors from around the world are intrigued, yet also confused, when they hear the Navajo language – so, too, were the enemy during World War II.” (Discover Navajo)

According to Price-wright, “For three years, 400 Navajo troops--mostly Marines--used the code in battles with the Japanese. No messages were ever decoded. It is still the only spoken U.S. military code that has never been broken. The Navajo code talkers played an important role in the U.S. victory in World War II. But their work was a secret until 1968. Even after the mission and
…show more content…
Their initial goal of the meeting was to discuss Navajo land rights. Philip was the Navajo/English translator between the local Navajo leaders and President Roosevelt. Philip later served in the armed forces during World War I (1914-1918). At the start of World War II, Philip proposed the idea of the U.S. using the Navajo language as code. The Marines recruited four Navajos living in the Los Angeles area, just for a trial run. The program was so successful that Clayton Vogel, the acting General, put the plan into action. This, however, lead to the date of May 4, 1942, where "twenty-nine Navajo recruits boarded a bus at Ft. Defiance, Arizona, and were off to San Diego, beginning their seven weeks of recruit" (Nixon,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Navajo code talkers took part in every assault the U.S. Marines conducted in the Pacific on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleiu, and Iwo Jima from 1942 to 1945. They served in all six Marine divisions, Marine parachute units and Marine Raider battalions, transmitting important messages by radio and telephone in their native language—a code that the Japanese never broke during the war.…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some of you may not know about the Navajo Code Talkers, so I’m going to tell you a little bit about them. The Code Talkers are arguably the most important part of the U.S.’s army during World War II. For starters, the Code Talkers weren’t white men. They were actually indians who lived normal lives. The Code Talkers weren’t all…

    • 410 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Navajo Indians were enlisted to convey top secret communications for the U.S. Marines after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Known as Navajo Code Talkers, these young men created an oral cryptogram the enemy was unable to decipher, fulfilling a vital role during World War II and saving an innumerable amount lives. For the American Armed Forces, communications, which had always been a multifarious issue, had now become a bewildering burden. Japanese cryptographers were proving themselves amazingly capable of breaking top secret military codes almost as quickly as newer, more intricate procedures could be made. Many of the Japanese code breakers had been schooled in the United States where they had learned to speak English and had become familiar with the American way of life. Knowing the language and slang terms meant that the Japanese knew every possible code the Americans could come up with, and therefore the Americans sought a…

    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ww1 Unit 1 Research Paper

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages

    It has been estimated that over 4,000 First Nation’s had taken the initiative to serve in the second world war. This is an extraordinary discovery due to the fact that they received very few civil rights in the twentieth century for their heritage. They overcame many barriers to help enlist in the war such as cultural and language barriers that separated them from the other european troops. By overcoming them they produced a new found recognition that would express their sacrifice and achievements to eventually advance their First Nation rights.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ritchie Boys Essay

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Soldiers were to report to a Military Training Center at Camp Ritchie in Maryland, to undergo extensive intelligence training that included; understanding Morse code, interrogation methods and combat techniques. Although the exact number of volunteers for this training was unknown it is estimated that about 10,000 men participated between the years of 1942 to 1945.…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Code Talker”, by Joseph Bruchac is about the life of a Navajo boy growing into a man. It describes his life as a child on an Indian Reservation up to adulthood. The story is told through the main character’s point of view, thoughts and actions. The book tells of the difficulties that the Navajo people faced in the white man’s world. It tells of the life lessons that the difficulties taught the Navajo boy. It addresses the overall values of the Navajo people and how they were treated by the white men. The book develops into the story of how the main character accepted his role in World War II as a Code Talker. The role of the main character and other Navajo young men contributed to the success of the United States Marines winning the war.…

    • 533 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Short Story: Ned's War

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Ned plan was to enroll in the war and to become a warrior. He knew that he could not convince anyone that he was older because of his height. Since Ned is a short boy not only for his age but he even told his friends that “the war will be over before I am old enough to enlist.” The teachers told the students that “you must all sacrifice to help the war effort, “ but Ned knew that the Navajos had already sacrificed before. Some of the families back home are still trying to recover for when the last sacrifice happened. Even though the Navajo men already sacrificed, they still wanted to help and go to Pearl Harbor. The Navajo did not know how far it was but still wanted to continue their journey to help. Almost all the Navajo men were told by…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    Japanese-American Wwii

    • 3613 Words
    • 15 Pages

    During WWII, Japanese-Americans were discriminated against solely because of their Japanese ancestry. Although mistreated, despised, and even imprisoned, the Japanese-Americans overcame tremendous hardships and approximately 33,000 Japanese-Americans, both men and women, served valiantly in our Armed Forces, and nearly 800 of those having made the ultimate sacrifice. While there are numerous anecdotes, I will focus this paper on those Japanese-Americans who were part of the University of Hawaii (UH) Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) Program, those who formed the Varsity Victory Volunteers (VVV), and those who formed Hawaii 's very own 100th Infantry Battalion and the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT).…

    • 3613 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    At least with respect to their own environment, these people had considerably more knowledge than we do today. Every indication we have about traditional Indian life suggests that they never stopped learning and gathering insights into the operation of the natural world. This is another reason to encourage our Navajo language to the future generations for it to become more powerful as well as not lose our traditional…

    • 675 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iwo Jima

    • 1039 Words
    • 5 Pages

    This tactical communication was as code system utilized by the Marine Corps that incorporated the use of the Native American Navajo language. At the initial phases of Second World War, Japanese cryptographers had been able to intercept radio communications and had obtained vital US Armed Forces information. In the battle of Iwo Jima, operations were directed through the Navajo Code. Six radio networks had been operated around the clock throughout the battle and campaign in its entirety. During the battle, Code Talkers processed over 800 messages that enabled the taking of Iwo Jima and saving thousands of American lives. In the morning of the first day, Battleship guns signaled the commencement of the initial assault. This was followed by the bombing of 100 bombers and was continued by another salvo from the naval guns. On the first night, the Marine line spanned across the base of Mount Suribachi and continued northeast along the coast line and ended near the East Boat Basin. The Marines continued to take Japanese artillery shelling. The second day of the battle, tanks had finally…

    • 1039 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Navajo people, otherwise known as the Diné, have many specific customs and rituals oriented around the natural evolution of death. The Navajo explained this natural occurrence by creating stories that described the death of the living. When one of the Navajo people die, the living adhere to very strict guidelines pertaining to the treatment of the body. Some of these rules stem from the Navajo’s fear that the dead will come back to haunt them. The Navajo follow these customs not only because they are afraid of the consequences if they do not, but because it shows their respect to the deceased.…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    When this was heard, the Japanese diplomats were supposed to destroy all of their code papers. (Kahn 143-144). The Americans thought that the Japanese “winds code” was only a way for Tokyo to contacts its diplomats if the normal channels failed. It was even thought that these messages were intended for the Japanese ambassador in London, England. (At Dawn We Slept…

    • 2110 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Tuskegee Airmen

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Tuskegee airmen are the first African American military pilots to serve during WWII (History of the Tuskegee Airmen). They also had a nickname, “The Red Tail Angels” because they escorted the B-52 bomber planes and painted the propeller and tail of their planes red. The Tuskegee airmen included pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and personnel who kept the planes in the air (Butkus). These men showed great courage and enduring determination in the face of racism within the military. An October 1925 report by the Army War College titled “The Use of Negro Manpower in War” reflected prevailing attitudes. The report concluded that the Negro man was immoral, mentally inferior to whites, profoundly superstitious, had less capacity for learning, and was a coward in darkness” (The Tuskegee Airmen). White officers who were not racist wouldn’t risk their career because of “the advancement of colored people” (The Tuskegee Airmen )As the war continued, The Civilian Pilot Training Act and The Public…

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chester Nez

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Chester Nez was born in Chichiltah in the Navajo Nation walking from 15-20 miles to the grass for their sheep. But you didn’t hear any complains from the Navajo, they have their own little peaceful time. It was about collaborating and sharing. Even though it was a daily routine for them, the population of the livestock grew bigger. In that being said, the federal government than past on a livestock-reduction policy because the sheep were destroying the land by overgrazing. He remembered his Grandma cried that night because more than half of her sheep were dead. When he turned 18, the Marines came to his school. Pearl Harbour had been attacked, the Americans needed more men. The U.S. Marines were looking for a noteworthy type of guy. They got the answer, it had to be the Navajo Indians. Chester Nez was one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers and those 29 original Code Talker were informed of their mission to make an unbreakable code. They devised a code that was the only unbroken code in modern warfare. A connection between Louie Zamperini and Chester Nez is that they both had an unexpected mission. For example Louie is an Olympian, his goal is to break record and wins medal. Chester Nez is just an ordinary Navajo Indians and he faces hardship about his culture and heritage outside of his home. Everythings for them came too fast for them to realize about their past. A question I have for Chester is “Did he see the sheep burned up in the trenches, if he did. How would he describe about what happen at that time. At the Presentation there was a simple powerful saying he says that I would never thought anyone would say. The question was What is one of your most memorable moment you have, “ One of my most memorable moment was herding sheep. said Nez” This tell me that he really care about his grandma’s sheep and that it was a big part of his life. Another question I would as him is, Did he learned anything he thought he would never learned when he went to war?”…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Black Americans, segregation, and slavery. Most of the people who have studied American history recognize the inhumane actions towards people of color during the 1960’s and 1980’s. Yet, people often are not aware of the similar acts perpetrated on the Native Americans during the same period of time. The Native Americans had to suffer their past of external shame imposed on their culture and tradition by the White American society, followed by a coercion of White American culture due to the government proposal of the “Indian problem.” Nevertheless, the Native Americans maintained their pride in their identity and culture internally, within their tribes, and carried out such acts as Ghost Dance, valuing their own tradition. While it may seem paradoxical, both shame and pride of culture and identity simultaneously resonate in Native Americans today as a means of letting go of the unpleasant past and moving on to the future with a new hope.…

    • 1263 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays