Code Talkers

During times of war, secure communications can mean the difference between life and death, victory, and defeat. During World War I and World War II, hundreds of American Indians joined the United States armed forces and used words from their traditional tribal languages as weapons. Some tribes were recruited by the United States military to develop secret battle communications using their languages. Other Native people found one another during the war and informally used their languages to subvert the enemy. “Code Talkers,” as they came to be known after World War II, are twentieth-century American Indian warriors and heroes who significantly aided the victories of the United States and its allies.

In 2001 the original twenty-nine Navajo “Code Talkers” received the Congressional Gold Medal at the US Capitol, and subsequent code talkers received the Congressional Silver Medal. Their unbreakable code helped the US Marine Corps battle across the Pacific from 1942 to 1945.