Navajo Code Talkers Honored as Last Living Veterans Gather in Phoenix

A crowd is expected to gather in Phoenix to mark National Code Talker Day, an occasion that will bring together one of the last two surviving Navajo Code Talkers, 101-year-old Thomas H. Begay.

During World War II, the Marine Corps recruited hundreds of Navajo men to develop a battlefield code based on their native language. Between 1942 and 1945, these soldiers transmitted thousands of secret messages about battle tactics and enemy troop movements, playing a crucial role in U.S. victories in the Pacific War and helping save countless Allied lives.

"The U.S. was being defeated. Without that code, that war could have been different," said Dawn Manuelito, granddaughter of one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers. "Our language saved this country."

The program remained classified until 1968, and for decades the Code Talkers could not discuss their service, even with family. Formal recognition came gradually: President Richard Nixon sent a letter of appreciation in 1971, and in 1982 President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation designating August 14 as the official day to honor the Code Talkers and all Native Americans who served in the war.

Begay grew up speaking only Navajo and first learned English at age 13 in boarding school. After leaving the Marines in 1946, he joined the Army and served as a paratrooper during the Korean War. The other surviving Code Talker, Peter MacDonald, joined the Marines at 15 by lying about his age and later became a prominent politician on the Navajo Nation.

The recognition comes amid recent controversy. Following an executive order ending federal diversity programs, the Defense Department removed thousands of webpages honoring contributions by women and minority groups, including the Navajo Code Talkers. The Pentagon later restored some pages, saying the material was erroneously removed.

Laura Tohe, Arizona's Poet Laureate and daughter of a Code Talker, noted the irony that her father was punished for speaking Navajo in boarding school, yet was later asked to use that same language for military purposes. "It's a huge contradiction," she said. "Despite the complicated and dark history and relationship that we have with the U.S., these men were willing to step up."

There is currently no dedicated museum honoring the Code Talkers. Plans were announced last week to establish one in Farmington, New Mexico.