CAMPBELL HONORS NAVAJO CODE TALKERS
Washington D.C. — Four of five surviving Navajo Code Talkers were awarded the
nation's highest civilian honor today when President Bush presented the men
with the Congressional Gold Medal in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol
Building. Joined by the President, U.S. Senators, the Code Talkers and
their families, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell spoke to the gathering under
the Capitol Dome as part of a ceremony that recognized the contributions of
the Code Talkers to the U.S. effort during World War II.
"It was not until 1968 that the very existence of the Navajo Code Talkers was
even acknowledged by the U.S. military and since then these men received
only limited recognition for their contributions to the war effort," said
Campbell, a veteran and the only Native American in the U.S. Senate. "Today
we honor these brave men and thank them for their service to our nation in
World War II. Many of the Code Talkers had never left the Navajo reservation
before the war but soon enough found themselves in places like Iwo Jima,
Tarawa, and Okinawa," said Campbell.
In May 1942, the first 29 Navajo men were recruited into the U.S. Marine
Corps boot camp. During this time a dictionary and numerous words for
military terms were developed and memorized. The Navajo language satisfied
the U.S. military's requirement for an undecipherable code because of its
complexity. "The Code Talker story is an American story — it shows how in
the face of adversity, America uses every resource it has to overcome
obstacles and achieve lasting victory," Campbell remarked.
After training, the Code Talkers were deployed to the Pacific and were
responsible for transmitting messages in their native Navajo — a code that
the Japanese were never able to break. "These American heroes fought bravely
and were willing to sacrifice their lives in using a communication system
that the enemy could not break," said Campbell.
At Iwo Jima, Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal officer,
declared, "Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken
Iwo Jima." The Japanese chief of intelligence, Lieutenant General Seizo
Arisue, said that while they were able to decipher the codes used by the
other armed forces, they never were able to crack the code used by the
Marines and Navajos. "World War II veterans are now leaving us at a rate
of more than 1,000 per day, and I urge all Americans to join me and thank
these men and all servicemen and women who made America victorious more
than 55 years ago", said Campbell.
***
CONTACT: Paul Moorehead 202-224-2251
July 26, 2001