Student portrays code talker at school event

ALBUQUERQUE

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Aaden Bitsie, 10, a student at Bandelier Elementary in Albuquerque, selected the Navajo Code Talkers as his project to research, write a speech, dress up as, and present at Bandelier’s Living Museum event on Oct. 29.

Aaden Bitsie, 10, a student at Bandelier Elementary, introduced his classmates to a treasured piece of Navajo history – the Navajo Code Talkers.

Students were asked to select a historical person to research, write a speech, dress up as, and present at Bandelier’s Living Museum event on Oct. 29.

Aaden, who is Kinyaa’áanii born for Bilagáana, chose to portray a Navajo Code Talker.

He provided the following monologue while dressed in a replica of the code talkers’ famed uniforms:

“Hi, I am a Navajo Code Talker. In early 1942, 29 Navajo recruits attended Marine Corps boot camp. This first group of code talkers created the Navajo code.

“The Navajo code used English words to represent letters and used Navajo words for terms used in warfare. Examples of the code, the word for ‘potato’ in Navajo was used for grenade, the word for ‘whale’ was used for battleship and ‘our Mother’ for America.

“The Navajo Code Talkers transmitted 800 messages with no mistakes during the invasion of Iwo Jima. No enemies were able to figure out the Navajo’s unbreakable code.”

Aaden’s mom is Jennifer Bitsie of Albuquerque. His grandparents are the late Oscar and Faith Bitsie of Tohatchi, New Mexico.