sign in sign up
<<
Home , Chester Nez, Code talker

Navajo Talkers: Breaking Communication Barriers Isaac Lanham Junior (Individual Exhibit) Breaking Barriers

• Throughout most of II, the Allied Powers, (Britain, France, Russia, and the United States) were not able to communicate without their messages being decoded. The Code Talkers were a solution. They used their native languag e to develop a code that was never broken. This was a huge barrier for the Allies to overcome and was a stong advantage that helped win the war. How it Happened: In , the military utilized Native Americans who were familiar with both their native language and English to send secret messages. The code was proven effective and helped the US win some key battles in World War I. In World War II, the US military built up a specific strategy to enroll and prepare Native American speakers to become code talkers. • Creating the code: Japan had a very strong head of intelligence and the Japanese code breakers were able to decipher many different codes that the Allied forces used. Philip Johnston, a World War I veteran, knew of the triumphs of the phone squad. In 1942, he proposed to the Marine Corps that and their language could be useful in transmitting secret messages. The Marines enrolled 29 Navajos who created a code using their language. Eventually, over 400 Navajo people were recruited as code talkers.

• The : On February 19, 1945, the United States Marine Corps and Navy landed on the island of Iwo Jima with the intent to take the land from the Japanese Army. There were six Navajo Code Talkers working constantly who successfully transmitted over 800 messages without error over the course of the five week battle. The 5th Marine Division Signal Officer Major Howard Connor stated, “Were it not for the Navajos, the marines would have never taken Iwo Jima.”

Short Term Impacts: Despite their success in the war, the code talkers were told to keep quiet about the code and their wartime experiences in case it was needed in the future. The code talkers were ridiculed for being useless in the war and weren’t accepted back into society like they expected. Many of these men relied on alcohol and drugs as a coping method for their depression. Some code talkers even died to drug abuse after the war. • Historical Significance: The information about the code talkers wasn't released to the public when the war ended. It was only recently released and therefore the code talkers are not commonly known. Today, the Navajo Code Talkers are becoming more and more recognized for their work in the war. They demonstrated the importance of their tribal language and are respected by many people.

The Navajo Code Talkers

Isaac Lanham Junior Division Individual Exhibit Student-Composed Words: 500 Process Paper: 385

1. My grandfather was a code breaker in the . As a kid, I was very interested in what his part was in the war, but he was very sensitive about it, and became very uncomfortable when we asked him about it. He passed away a few years back and I forgot about the whole thing until this project. I had no clue what I was going to choose, until I saw the Navajo Code Talkers. I knew it had to be a little different than what my grandpa had done, but I was very excited to finally get an understanding his role in the war.

2. Research for this project is not easy. There is hardly anything you can find from looking around on the internet. To find any important documents and such, lots of digging was required. I was struggling at first, and really thinking about changing my topic, but I took one last search, and went the deepest I ever had. I found primary and secondary sources and realized I could do it. Over the last few months, I have spent hours and hours on my research. I knew there was no shortcut. I just looked and looked until I found what I wanted.

3. I chose my presentation topics after my own opinions. Personally, I do not enjoy reading about a topic when you could have a visual of it. For me, this eliminated a paper or website. I was either going to make a video or make an exhibit board. I was doing the project all alone and realized I didn’t want to make a video with just myself. An exhibit board was the last option and the best one in my opinion.

4. The Navajo Code Talkers relate to breaking barriers in multiple ways. Firstly, the Allied Forces had a huge barrier of communication. It was very difficult to communicate without their messages and codes being intercepted and deciphered. When the was introduced, this was no longer a problem. This was a gigantic barrier to break through and gave the Allies a big advantage. Additionally, it built a barrier for the Central Forces to try to break. But they could never break this barrier. The Navajo Code is one of the only unbroken codes in history.

Annotated Bibliography Isaac Lanham (Junior Division)

Secondary Sources

Books McClain, S. Navajo Weapon: the Navajo Code Talkers. Rio Nuevo Publishers, Tucson, AZ 2002. I checked out this book from the library. Although I didn’t read the entire thing, the part I did read was very helpful. It had lots of facts and information that no other source gave me, such as the number of original code talkers in WWI. Bixler, Margaret T. Winds of Freedom: The Story of the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II. Two Bytes Pub. Co., 2002. I also borrowed this book from the library. It didn’t have to much information that I needed, but it was still helpful. This book explained what was happening with the code talkers from the other side (Axis Powers) and made me realize just how hard the code was to break and how hard they tried to break it.

Videos True whispers: Story of the Navajo Code Talkers This film was very interesting and very sad. It told me about the code talkers being drafted and taught me something I wasn’t aware of before. I learned that the code talkers were looked down on before the war for their skin color and that they expected to be respected after their work in the war. When the war ended, they were not respected at all and many of them lost their lived to alcohol and depression. “World War II.” Ducksters Educational Site, www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_ii/ww2_timeline.php. This site had a few short, educational videos about the code talkers. The information they gave wasn’t anything I haven’t heard before, but it became more understandable with a video of what was really happeneing. “.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Sept. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_talker. Paris, Jessica, and National Intelligence. This was one of the first sources I looked at. It helped me get to know what the code talkers did in general. “1942: Navajo Code Talkers.” Home, https://www.intelligence.gov/index.php/people/barrier- breakers-in-history/453-navajo-code-talkers. This source was one of the more helpful ones. I learned a lot about the hesitation before bringing in the code talkers, and how hard it really was to make an unbreakable code.

Quotes “Code Talker Quotes by .” Goodreads, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1973199-code-talker-a-novel-about-the-navajo- marines-of-world-war-two. (This webpage had two of the quotes I used) Joseph Bruchac has lots of background with native people. He is very inspirational and helped me to understand how hard the Navajos were forced to work. “Iwo Jima Quotes (10 Quotes).” Goodreads, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/iwo-jima. Some of these things were quoted by very important people such as Richard Nixon. I learned that the code talkers became very respected and recognized after the war, but not to the public. They were told to keep their work a secret, in case it was needed again.

Webpages “Code Breaking.” History TV, www.history.co.uk/history-of-ww2/code-breaking. I learned about some of the codes and how they were used. This site helped me see the differences of the Navajo codes and language. “World War II Cryptography.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Dec. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_cryptography. This was one of the less helpful websites, but not completely useless. I did learn some more specific numbers and such. Platt, John. “How the Navajo Code Talkers Helped Win World War II.” MNN, Mother Nature Network, 27 Nov. 2017, www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/how-the-navajo-code- talkers-helped-win-world-war-ii. This website was so very helpful. It gave me a great understanding of how they helped win the war, and the point of view of one of the last living code talkers from WWII, . “Navajo Code Talkers and the Unbreakable Code.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 16 Nov. 2016, www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story- archive/2008-featured-story-archive/navajo-code-talkers/. This site primarily focused on the code which was very helpful. I learned that the code used was based off the language, but still had many differences.

Code Talking - Native Words Native Warriors, americanindian.si.edu/education/codetalkers/html/chapter4.html. This source also helped me learn about the code, as well as the code talkers in WWI. I learned that there were many flaws with the first code, so lots things were updated in WWII.

“English Online.” World War II | Results and Aftermath of the War, www.english- online.at/history/world-war-2/results-and-aftermath-of-world-war-ii.htm. This site taught me some more things that happened after the war, and that happened when the code talkers came home. I was glad to have a written version of this after so long. Levenson, Eric. “The Incredible Story of the Navajo Code Talkers That Got Lost in All the Politics.” CNN, Cable News Network, 29 Nov. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/11/28/us/navajo-code- talkers-trump-who/index.html. Although straight forward, this site was helpful. It was another source explaining their exact part in the war. I also used it for a photo on my board. Chan, Amy. “Unbreakable: The Navajo Code.” HistoryNet, HistoryNet, 28 Nov. 2017, www.historynet.com/unbreakable-navajo-code.htm. This was a very helpful website that mostly talked about the code and the recruiting of code talkers. Spotlight, Southwest Crossroads. “‘Navajo Code Talkers.’” Southwest Crossroads- Navajo Code Talkers, www.southwestcrossroads.org/record.php?num=741. This site had helpful quotes that gave me a better idea of how highly appreciated their work and how badly it was needed. “How Navajo Code Talkers Helped the U.S. Fight in WW II | CBC Radio.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio , 7 Nov. 2019, www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/remembering-the-contributions-of- indigenous-veterans-1.4894412/how-navajo-code-talkers-helped-the-u-s-fight-in-ww-ii- 1.4896385. This was a webpage featuring some native people and their stories in the war. It was surprising to me how long it took before they were allowed to tell what their part in the war was.

“Honoring Native American Code Talkers.” U.S. Department of the Interior, 7 Nov. 2017, www.doi.gov/blog/honoring-native-american-code-talkers. This was another site that gave WWI background. I didn’t know that the code talkers were a part of anything else, especially not WWI.

Photographs “Window Rock, AZ - Navajo Code Talkers Statue.” RoadsideAmerica.com, www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/30647. Although this source did have some information, I only used it for the statue. This helps my point that they are still respected and honored.

Primary Sources

Newspapers www.newspapers (Codeword “Navajo Code talkers”) This was the only newspaper I was able to find but it was very helpful. In short, it was a message to the families of the soldiers explaining how the code talkers were being used in the war. It makes me realize that it really didn’t happen that long ago. The only downside was that it was a little hard to read because the quality was not great.

Visual Sources army.mil/article/70903/classified_code_mission_delayed_recognition_for_navajo_marines https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/military-july-dec09-navajo_11-11 Although sort of confusing, this source was extremely interesting and helpful. I learned about Samuel Smith and his part of the Navajo code talkers.

Artifacts Proc, Jerry. The Codetalkers, www.jproc.ca/crypto/codetalk.html. Artifacts were one type of source that tell a story without saying any words. Not just this one, but every type of artifact. This showed me how much equipment and such needed to be carried around. “Memorandum Regarding the Enlistment of Navajo Indians.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/code-talkers. This artifact was in a museum and looked to be in good condition. It helped me realize how straightforward yet risky the whole idea was. “Radio Found on Iwo Jima ‘Sent Final Japanese Army Message’ as American Forces Closed In.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 20 Aug. 2012, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/9487288/Radio-found-on-Iwo-Jima- sent-final-Japanese-army-message-as-American-forces-closed-in.html. Another artifact that tells its own story. This source helped me more to realize that this wasn’t even 80 years ago.

Quotes “Iwo Jima Quotes (10 Quotes).” Goodreads, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/iwo-jima. These were quotes from the soldiers and commanders of Iwo Jima. It helped me realize that just one little mistake could mess up so much. “QUOTES BY CHESTER NEZ: A-Z Quotes.” A, www.azquotes.com/author/45819-Chester_Nez. These quotes helped my realization of the impact of one individual person. Chester Nez was one of the original code talkers and just died recently. Webpages DaveW. “American Indian Code Talkers: The National WWII Museum: New Orleans.” The National WWII Museum | New Orleans, The National World War II Museum, 13 Aug. 2017, www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/american-indian-code-talkers. This webpage was from the national WWII museum. I was really happy to find a primary source webpage and it helped me find lots of exact dates and more with information directly from the WWII museum.

“ Code Talkers and Allied Success in WWI.” NC DNCR, 21 Aug. 2016, www.ncdcr.gov/blog/2016/08/21/cherokee-code-talkers-and-allied-success-in-wwi. This was a site I wish I had found a lot sooner. It was information about the original code talkers in WWI and it helped me see how they changed in between the wars.

Books “American Indians and World War II.” Google Books, Google, https://books.google.com/books?id=MbeAH3ebF6YC&pg=PA188&lpg=PA188&dq=chevron+ma y+16+1942+issue&source=bl&ots=Nc75qnQzxO&sig=ACfU3U0akjy3naJkO2Hea3Ul8_- W6eGsdg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjn6_j4wNnlAhURt54KHdBYCYMQ6AEwAHoECAkQAQ#v= onepage&q=chevron may 16 1942 issue&f=false. This book was very helpful and the only primary source book I could find as it is from 1942. What I could read was the best and most accurate information. You had pay extra to see the whole book, so I did not get everything out of it I wish I had.