Navajo Code Talkers Facts

There are many interesting Navajo Code Talkers facts that people want to know even more. These facts will reveal who they are and how they affect a particular place or broader area. Find out more important details about them and see how they work.

Primary Responsibility of the Navajo Code Talkers

The main task of Navajo Code Talkers was to transmit information and talk on troop movements, tactics, order, as well as all crucial battlefield information with the use of the native dialects over radios and telegraphs. The main reason behind the great value of this code was due to the fact that it had been established upon the native language and can never get broken.

When They Served

They have been serving in the 6 marine divisions since 1942 up to 1945 during the Second World War. These include Marine parachute units and Marine Raider Battalions. It is the method that has been considered faster compared to the use of Morse code in which it requires several hours to get transmitted. This is because the messages can be relayed within a few minutes only. There have been more than 400 American Indian Navajo Code Talkers that time. But there are less than 30 non-Navajo persons who could understand such unwritten language. This code has been finally declassified in 1968 by the government of the United States.

Code Talking History

Navajo had been preferred as the code language during the Second World War and had been utilized in the Korean War. The code talkers use had ended right after the war in Vietnam. However, this has not been the very first code talk that was used.

There were Cherokee troops that belong to the American 30th Infantry Division serving alongside Britain during the 2nd Battle of Somme last September 1918. In addition, the Chocktaw has contributed in winning over numerous battles during the First World War in France in the Meuse-Argonne Campaign. This is because of the native language used as the code.

The Comanche code talkers have been awarded by the French government with the Chevalier of the National Order of Merit in the year 1989 for their works during the Second World War. The Meskwaki men had utilized their language against the Germans that were based in Northern Africa. The Basque Indians have not been used heavily, except in Australia and in Hawaii. This is due to the reason that there have been known Basque Jesuits in China, Asia, Philippines and Hiroshima.

Philip Jonston had been the Marine Corps’ program initiator to train and enlist the Navajo as the messengers. He had been with Navajo reservation and not as the Navajo but the son of the missionary. Here he learned the culture and language of these people.

The Navajo Code Talkers were extremely difficult to comprehend and understand except by the one who were raised speaking this language. There have been no books available in Navajo. Its tonal qualities and syntax made this unintelligible to anybody with no extensive training and exposure. There have been additional alphabet layers that were included to this code in order to get rid of forced code interpretation by the native speakers who were captured.