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YUMA, Ariz. (7/9/2012) - A few Marines fortunate enough to
be in the right place at the right time witnessed an amazing
piece of history come alive. On July 2, for the first time
in more than 60 years, the Marine Corps' Navajo code from
World War II was again passed over radio transmission.
The code was transmitted by Bill Toledo who served as a
Navajo code talker with 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines and is a
native of Laguna, N.M., and was visiting the men and women
of Marine Wing Communications Squadron 48 during Exercise
Javelin Thrust to commemorate 70 years since the code talker
program was founded in 1942.
Bill Toledo, left, who served as a Navajo code talker with 3rd
Battalion, 9th Marines and is a native of Laguna, N.M., and Sidney
Bedoni, right, who served as a Navajo code talker with the 2nd, 4th
and 5th Marine Divisions and is a native of White Cone, Ariz., speak
about their time as code talkers to the Marines of Marine Wing
Communication Squadron 48 at the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, July
2, 2012. This visit was planned in conjunction with Exercise Javelin
Thrust, one of the largest reserve exercises in the Marine Corps.
Photo by USMC Lance Cpl. William Waterstreet
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In spite of triple digit
temperatures, gusting winds and clouds of dust at Marine
Corps Air Station Yuma, Bill Toledo and fellow code talker
Sidney Bedoni, who served as a Navajo code talker with the
2nd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions and is a native of White
Cone, Ariz., insisted on visiting Marines out in the field
to see how modern radio Marines live and work. After
reviewing a static display of modern radio communications
equipment, Toledo discussed his experiences as a code talker
in the Second World War and, during the story, Toledo keyed
the handset of a nearby PRC-150, performed a brief radio
check, and then reenacted a coded message from the story.
Toledo simulated calling for fire on a Japanese-held hill
before the awestruck Marines.
“We are in the presence
of greatness and true American heroes,” stated Master Sgt.
John Roberts, the MWCS-48 communications chief and a native
of Cleveland who was assigned as an honorary code talker
liaison for the duration of the event.
Toledo and
Bedoni came to visit the Marines and to tell the story they
lived almost 70 years ago. Their visit began with video
interviews conducted by the Marine Corps History Division
for the sake of posterity, including a recording of the
Marine Corps hymn in Navajo. Following these interviews, the
code talkers ate chow with several junior Marines and
non-commissioned officers.
Later, active and reserve
Marines, Marine Corps League members, and local civilians
gathered in the chapel to hear their tale firsthand. The day
ended with a banquet in their honor.
The code
talkers' storied history began in early 1942, when Philip
Johnston, a white Protestant missionary's son, presented the
idea of using the Navajo language to create a code the
Japanese couldn't break. Johnston recruited 29 young Navajos
to become Marines, not informing them about the plan for the
code. Once the Navajo Marines had graduated boot camp and
combat training, they were instructed to create a code based
on their native language.
The code was first tested
on Guadalcanal by six Marine code talkers who landed with
the 1st Marine Division. Four weeks after the landing, then
Maj. Gen. Alexander Vandegrift, the division commander, sent
back to the Pentagon, “The enemy doesn't know what they're
saying. We don't know what they're saying, but it works.”
The code was based on the language of the Navajo people,
but not everyone could understand it. Each Navajo Marine
still had to go through a school to learn how to speak the
code. The code was based on words which were familiar to the
Navajo people. For example, the word for potato meant hand
grenade and the word for turtle meant tank.
In order
to test the code, the government had Navajo elders try to
decipher it. When they couldn't, the government knew they
found something special.
There was another code in
use by the Marine Corps at this time, but it was extremely
complicated and could take 10 times longer to send a message
than with the Navajo code.
Because of this, the
Navajo code began to grow larger and more widespread,
ultimately being used in every major offensive of the war in
the Pacific. Throughout the course of the war, there were
420 Navajos who served as code talkers. Thirteen didn't
return.
“Today, we have thousands of dollars of
cryptologic equipment to encode messages,” said Sgt. Karl
Lipovsek, a MWCS-48 electronic maintenance technician and a
native of Elm Grove, Wis. “The code talkers did it by
themselves with almost nothing and won a war.”
Toledo, who served with 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines and a
native of Laguna, N.M., enlisted in the Marine Corps after
finishing eighth grade at the age of 18. He was convinced to
join because of another young Navajo Marine who returned to
the reservation and spoke about the Corps. Toledo then
traveled 50 miles to see a recruiter.
Before leaving
for boot camp, the Navajo Marines were not told what they
would be doing in the war. They were all signing up to be
Marines, not knowing the code talkers existed.
When
Toledo reached his unit, the other Marines at first thought
he was the Japanese interpreter.
“Once the other
Marines found out what I was doing in the war, they turned
around and had a lot of respect for me,” said Toledo.
He then traveled throughout the Pacific, seeing combat
on Bougainville, Guam and Iwo Jima while transmitting
messages in the code he had memorized. Writing anything down
was not allowed because of the risk of capture.
Each
code talker had a white bodyguard, who had orders to go as
far as killing the code talker in the event of capture to
protect the code. However, this never happened, and most
code talkers were unaware of this reality until many years
after the war. In fact, the bodyguards were necessary to
keep the code talkers safe from Americans, as they were
commonly mistaken for Japanese soldiers masquerading as
Marines. To this day, Toledo still corresponds with the man
who fought by his side.
Many code talkers were right
behind front line troops and were constantly in danger. The
Japanese would use the radio signal used by the code talker
to find the range for their mortars and begin shelling the
code talker's position.
“Through a barrage, or an air
attack, or naval gunfire, you still have to get the message
off,” said Toledo. “We were taught to ignore the world
around us and focus on the message. We saved a lot of lives
using the code.”
Even when the war was done, the code
talkers were sworn to secrecy.
“I was told, 'When you
go home, keep your mouth shut,'” Toledo added. “We couldn't
let anyone know what we did in case (America) needed to use
the code again. So we never talked about the war, and our
families never asked questions.”
In 1968, the code
was finally declassified. The code talkers then held a large
reunion and shortly thereafter established the Navajo Code
Talkers Association.
Today, there are fewer than 50
code talkers still alive, only one of the original 29 who
built the code. Those who are left travel the country,
spreading the tale of the code talkers and raising money for
a $43 million museum being built to commemorate the actions
of these brave Marines. The museum is scheduled to be
completed by 2014.
More information about the code
talkers and their association can be found at their website,
www.navajocodetalkers.org.
“We get a lot of questions
about the code, and we try to speak to everyone,” Toledo
stated. “People always want to hear the story of the code.”
In addition to the positive affects the code talkers
have had on the Corps, their actions have enriched the
Navajo culture and have been a positive influence on the
society.
“We try to tell young Navajos to be kind to
all, pray for everyone and stay away from alcohol,” said
Toledo. ”I tell the school kids to carry on our language to
the future. We don't want to lose it.”
The code
talkers and even Navajo Marines of today come from a world
very different from the one most Marines grew up in.
“Sheep were our lives,” Toledo stated. “I started taking
care of some of the sheep when I was six. When it was time
for me to start school, I went to one 70 miles away. When I
went into the Marine Corps I saw a lot of change. It was
hard to catch onto some things.”
“Growing up, we
didn't have running water or electricity.” said Staff Sgt.
Derran Yazzie, half-Navajo and half-Apache, a Marine Attack
Squadron 513 power line staff non-commissioned officer and a
native of Lupton, Ariz. “This was very common. We didn't get
electricity until 1983 and running water until 2000. Many
places still don't have running water. Everything is so
spread out, you're closest neighbor is three miles away.”
For many Native Americans, jobs are difficult to find on
the reservation, and with the history of the code talkers,
some Navajos have turned to the military.
“The code
talkers were one of the reasons I joined,” added Yazzie.
“Why live in your ancestors legends? Why not become a legend
of your own? If they can do what they did at the age of 16,
why can't I? Being a Marine amplifies our culture and our
purpose in life.”
Among the Navajo today, the code
talkers are given the utmost respect and are a cherished
part of their culture.
“It's very hard to find role
models and mentors on the reservation like the code
talkers,” said Yazzie. “There's a lot of respect for those
who go off and join the service. In our culture, you can be
proud if you choose to take the warrior's path. To see what
they did, it motivates you to get up and do something with
your life.”
“When I was young my father told me
stories about what my great-grandfather did,” said Pfc.
Rachel Wagner, a Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 4
administration clerk, a native of Chinle, Ariz., and a
descendent of one of the original 29 code talkers. “When we
see them in parades and public events, everybody claps. They
symbolize a lot for us. They left home and sacrificed
everything. They did all of this for us.”
The saga of
the code talkers is a timeless epic, one which is so unique
it will stand the test of time and continue as a testament
to the honor, courage and commitment of a people. What the
Navajo code talkers accomplished has become part of Marine
Corps legacy. By saving the lives of countless Marines, the
Navajo have shaped the lives of every man and woman wearing
the uniform today.
On August 14, 1982, President
Ronald Reagan declared National Navajo Code Talker Day, and
all Marines are encouraged to observe the holiday by taking
the time to learn more about their brother Marines, the
legendary Navajo code talkers, and sacrifices they made for
all of us. It falls to us to remember and carry on our
history.
By USMC Lance Cpl. William Waterstreet
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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