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News Article
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Code Talkers on Capitol Hill
By Cindy Von Quednow
SrcippsHoward Foundation Wire
WASHINGTON - During a tour of the U.S. Capitol, four Navajo Code Talkers were approached by tourists who wanted to shake their hands, or simply say thank you.
When the group walked into the Capitol Rotunda, a tour guide led visitors in applause for the “Windtalkers,” a reference to the 2002 Nicholas Cage movie based on the Code Talkers’ World War II service.
But the guide was promptly corrected by Keith Little, president of the Navajo Code Talkers Association, who said they are Navajo Code Talkers, not Windtalkers.
Sixty-five years after the end of the war, the four men were in Washington to ensure that the recognition they received that day will live on in the form of a museum and veterans center in New Mexico.
“The Code Talkers are making a beachhead here on the soil of the District of Colombia,” said Peter MacDonald, 83, one of the Code Talkers. “We are here to inform everybody that we want to preserve that legacy, not only belonging to Navajo, not only belonging to the United States Marine Corps, but belonging to all Americans, because this is an American treasure that needs to be preserved.”
The group met with staff members of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., and other members of Congress who represent the area where the museum will be located. They also met with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs.
“We volunteered to save the American freedom and American liberty, and now we're looking for some volunteers to help us to preserve this American treasure,” MacDonald said.
Money for museum
Members and supporters of the Navajo Code Talkers Foundation asked for funding and legislation to build the museum. The project is estimated to cost as much as $50 million.
The 208-acre site, located about 17 miles from Gallup, N.M., and 2 miles from the Navajo Nation capital in Window Rock, Ariz., was donated by Chevron Mining. The museum would include classrooms for teaching the Navajo language and a 13-mile trail that would teach the Code Talkers’ history.
Of the 400 Navajo Code Talkers who were trained during the war, fewer than 100 are still alive. Navajo Marines known as the “First 29” used the Navajo language to devise a code that was never deciphered by enemies or Navajos not trained in the code.
“All our birds became airplanes, all our fish – anything in the water – became ships, and the animals that live on the earth also became war materials,” said Frank Chee Willetto, 84.
Little called the First 29 “barrier breakers” because they went into the military at a time when minorities were segregated.
Many of the Navajo Code Talkers speak to students and others about their time in the war and the use of the code.
This year, HBO invited 12 Code Talkers to participate in the Veterans Day parade in New York.
They rode on a float designed for an HBO miniseries that will air next year, “The Pacific,” produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
Although the Code Talkers are recognized now, it was different right after the war.
Keeping the secret
The Code Talkers were told to keep the code and their efforts secret. And they did until 1968, when the project was declassified. The Navajo Code Talkers were recognized in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan, and in 2001, the First 29 were given the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush.
“We were never to say that we used Navajo Code. We were told, ‘You can tell your people whatever you want to, but don’t ever mention the Navajo Code,’” Little said.
Many Code Talkers were not glory hounds, Little said, so it wasn’t hard to keep the code a secret. They were simply following orders.
Mark Bolton, an attorney with Fennemore Craig in Phoenix who is working on the museum project, said there is an urgency to build and open the museum because five Code Talkers died in the last two months. One could not make it on the trip because he had suffered a stroke.
Bolton said they got a good reception.
“They recognized the incredible contribution the Code Talkers made in their service to their country and recognize the urgency of the project given the group’s dwindling numbers,” Bolton said.
One of those supporters is Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., who met with the Code Talkers.
“The idea of what they stand for, what they’ve done, how the language played such a crucial roll in winning the war for us, is just a compelling story,” said Udall, who supports the museum.
Bill Toledo, 85, a Navajo Code Talker who saw the American flag raised at Iwo Jima, said a museum will be worthwhile and educational for generations to come. He looks forward to sharing his stories with museum visitors of all ages.
“All of our records will be there, and many people can come to see our history,” Toledo said.
The Code Talkers faced more dangers than some other soldiers.
A fellow Marine thought Toledo was a Japanese spy who had infiltrated the military. The other Marine threatened to kill Toledo and took him to the squad leader who clarified that Toledo was indeed a U.S. Marine. After that, Toledo was assigned a bodyguard.
Yvonne Murphy, secretary of the Navajo Code Talkers Association, traveled with the group. The daughter of a Code Talker who died in 2002, Murphy grew up knowing very little about her father’s time in the Marines. Murphy continues to fight for the recognition of the Navajo Code Talkers.
“I’m putting my efforts into this museum so that these stories are not forgotten,” Murphy said. “These gentlemen made an indelible mark on history, and maybe the recognition is late in coming, but they deserve it.”
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