One of the Last Marine Windtalkers

Posted by Christopher Eger Dec 3, 2007

The Germans had the Enigma machine, the British experimented with a Welsh-based code, and many other countries used any and every means possible to keep there military codes unbreakable, but it was only the US Marines who were able to come up with a code that worked and was never broken. The marines went with 400 members of the Navajo nation who were native speakers of their almost incomprehensible unwritten language and developed a code from that. Outside of the Navajo nation fewer than 30 people were alive at the time who could even attempt to converse in the language. These men served in every marine division and participated in every marine island invasion of the pacific campaign from 1942-1945. Unlike the controversial Nicholas Cage movie "Wind talkers" that was kinda sorta based on the story of the Navajo Code Talkers, the code talkers did not have white bodyguards assigned to them with instructions to kill them if capture seemed likely. The movie however did feature supporting actor Adam Beach (himself a Saulteaux -Ojibwa) as a Navajo code talker. The code was in use as late as 1968 when it was declassified. It was not until the last decade or so that their accomplishments were spoken of and there service commemorated with the issue of special Congressional Silver and Gold medals.

Mr.John Sells, one of the last of these 400 brave Navajo men, died at age 92 recently at his home in Shiprock, New Mexico. He joined the Marines in 1944 and received his Congressional Silver Medal in 2001.

The Navajo Code Talkers Association is working hard to maintain their stories and preserve their memories.