'American treasures'
(Special to the Times - Donovan Quintero)
Marine Navajo Code Talker Samuel Tso salutes along with other code talkers on Sunday at National Navajo Code Talker Day activities in Church Rock, N.M.
Hundreds celebrate National Navajo Code Talkers Day
By Alastair Lee Bitsoi
Navajo Times
WINDOW ROCK, Aug. 18, 2011
(Special to the Times - Donovan Quintero)
TOP: Priscilla Begay Coutu, from Tucson, is the daughter of the late Navajo Code Talker Jerry C. Begaye Sr. Coutu, from Sheep Springs, N.M. She says her father was a Purple Heart recipient.
BOTTOM: Ira H. Hayes Veteran's Organization member Andrew Woody from Tuba City blesses the Navajo Code Talkers Sunday during National Navajo Code Talker Day in Window Rock.
The military-style event began to the strains of the Marine Corps hymn, as Marine Corps Reserves from Phoenix and recruiters from Albuquerque escorted their comrades - the Navajo Code Talkers - into the sea of cheering supporters.
"You and I may not have been here if it weren't for them," President Ben Shelly said to loud applause, calling the code talkers "American treasures."
Shelly and Navajo Nation Council Speaker Johnny Naize presented the Navajo Code Talkers Association and Department of Navajo Veterans Affairs with the president's proclamation naming Aug. 14-19 as Navajo Nation Code Talkers Week.
"We were young men when we were told that the empire of Japan bombed the U.S.," said code talker association President Keith Little, who was assigned to the 4th Marine Division, 24 Marines Regiment and fought in multiple battles.
Little, 87, expressed appreciation for those who came out to celebrate and honor the young Navajo men who answered the call to duty and helped devise an unbreakable military code based on the Navajo language.
The code helped the U.S. win battle after battle as it fought to retake the eastern Pacific from the Japanese. Once the code talkers returned home from the war, they were sworn to secrecy until 1968, when the U.S. declassified the code.
In 1982, 37 years after the war, President Ronald Reagan issued a presidential proclamation designating Aug. 14 as National Navajo Code Talkers Day.
"One thing the Navajo Code Talker's don't talk about is that they fought bravely alongside the Marine Corps," said Col. Jay R. Vargas, the keynote speaker. "They saved thousands and thousands of Marines in World War II."
Vargas, a Medal of Honor recipient for his efforts during the Vietnam War, ended his address by reminding his fellow comrades how important their fight was against a ruthless enemy, and he encouraged the code talkers to keep following their dreams.
"Thank you very much, Semper Fi," concluded Vargas, as veteran Marines in the crowd responded with "Ooh-rah!"
Capt. Christine Benally of the U.S Public Health Service, daughter of the late code talker Harry Benally, read the names of the 420 Navajo Code Talkers, who served from 1942-1945.
Historian Zonnie Gorman, daughter of the late code talker Carl Gorman, read the names of the seven code talkers who died in the past year.
Families of other deceased code talkers created biographical displays in honor of them. Among those were displays honoring Jerry C. Begay Sr., Samuel Holiday and Joe Silversmith.
The Ira H. Hayes American Legion Post No. 84 of Sacaton, Ariz., posted and retired the colors during the commemoration ceremony.
Contrasting the event with the Aug. 15 Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony held annually in Japan, Japanese-American Masa Mitsumuna, 38, said this celebration is about victory.
"This ceremony is totally different from ours," Mitsumuna said, adding that he came to the event as part of his multicultural studies at Arizona State University. "(It) has made me think about a lot of things.
"This event to me is like participating in the Hiroshima event in Japan," Mitsumuna said. "I heard people say, 'We won,' compared to in Japan where people would say, 'We should never make the same mistake.'"
As a result of the war and the atomic bomb's devastating impacts, which killed thousands of Japanese, Mitsumuna has become an anti-war activist in Japan. He has decided to create a cultural piece to honor the different cultures that fought in World War II, including the Navajo Code Talkers.
"We are finally getting recognized for what we did," said code talker Frank Chee Willetto, 87. "It was a long time ago but it brings back memories. I think it's amazing a lot of people are finally recognizing the Navajo Code Talkers."
Willetto, who was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division from 1944 to 1945, was among the 25 code talkers present at National Navajo Code Talkers Day.
According to Willetto, the military weapons - the M1 Garand rifles and steel helmets - used by the Navajo Code Talkers in the war will be autographed and auctioned off to generate funds to help build the $44 million National Navajo Code Talkers Museum and Veterans Center planned near Tsé Bonito, N.M.
On Sunday, a motorcycle ride was also held to raise funds for the planned museum, attracting about 150 riders.
Participants began their rides wherever they were and converged on Fire Rock Navajo Casino in Church Rock, N.M., where they paid $20 for single riders and $25 for double riders for a chance to win a custom-made Navajo Code Talkers motorcycle.
Wilburt Tully of Whitehorse Lake, N.M., won the motorcycle and said he planned to show it off on behalf of the code talkers this weekend at an armed forces bike rally in Denver.
The commemoration drew attendees from well beyond the local area, including Mitchell Hoard, 17, of the Colorado Springs Young Marines, who said he first heard of the Navajo Code Talkers just last year. He sentiment reflected the feeling of many in the crowd.
"I thought it was truly amazing what they had done," Hoard said.
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