Aug 14, 02:00 PM

U.S. Marks Navajo Code Talkers Day as Only Two Veterans Remain

The United States on Thursday observed National Navajo Code Talkers Day, honoring the more than 400 Navajo Marines whose Native language formed an unbreakable communications code during World War II. A federal delegation joined tribal leaders and veterans in Window Rock, Arizona, the capital of the Navajo Nation, for a ceremony that included military honors and recollections of battlefield service. Only two of the original Code Talkers—Peter MacDonald, 96, and Thomas Begay, 100—are still alive. Both men, credited with relaying hundreds of secure messages during the Pacific campaign, used the occasion to urge continued public recognition of their unit’s role in U.S. military history. President Ronald Reagan created the annual observance in 1982 to commemorate the group’s contribution after their once-classified mission was declassified in 1968. Advocates are pressing for a dedicated national museum to preserve artifacts and oral histories as the cohort dwindles.

#United States #Navajo Marines #Native language #World War II #Window Rock #Arizona #Navajo Nation #Peter MacDonald #Thomas Begay #Pacific campaign #Ronald Reagan

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U.S. Marks Navajo Code Talkers Day as Only Two Veterans Remain

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