Scope: Code Talkers

just beginning

about to be over

very intense

unpopular

in the section “Inventing the Code”

in the sidebar “On the Battlefield”

on the map of the World War II Pacific front

in the section “Painful History”

The Navajo language is difficult to learn.

Nez did not know he had been recruited for a top-secret project.

There was only one book written about the Diné language.

The Japanese were expert code breakers and had broken every American code.

weapons

communication

marksmanship

attack plans

The war left Nez spiritually wounded.

The U.S. thought it might use the code again in future wars.

Being away from his family during the war was difficult for Nez.

Nez didn’t want to tell his family about his role in the war.

Nez pursued a degree in art at the University of Kansas.

The Diné word for “potatoes” was the code word for “grenade.”

Basic training was like a game to Navajo soldiers.

Code talkers helped America and its allies win World War II.

The language was hard to break

Many people knew the language, so everyone would understand what they were saying

It was the language of the tribe

The brothers made it up, so they could teach it to anyone

In 2001, Nez traveled to the White House, where he and other code talkers were awarded gold medals by President George W. Bush.

Native nations are working to preserve and restore their languages

This legacy is about more than the pride Native people feel in the crucial work they did during the war

The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor plunged the US into WW2

Although the Navajo language was prohibited in boarding schools, it became a secret weapon to help the US defeat Japan

Phillip Johnson, the son of missionaries, grew up on the Navajo reservation

Some 6,800 Americans died at the battle of Iwo Jima