Letters | Insult to Diné

Editor,

Recently, the Defense Department announced that the DEI purge, pertaining to the military history of the Navajo Code Talkers during World War II will be restored to its website.

Someone finally figured it out: our cultural diversity figured prominently in saving many of the lives of marine combatants on Iwo Jima in 1945. It’s never too late to learn, but why would anyone even consider erasing what has become a sacred chapter in American history? What an insult to the Navajo culture and to all patriotic Americans. We are a nation, a society, and a culture composed of many diverse communities, ideas, and ethnicities.

Historically, there are many documented cases of how our diversity and multiculturalism have contributed substantially to our prominence as a nation. The story of the Navajo Code Talkers is an excellent example of why this is so.

Have you ever heard a conversation between Navajos, or have you ever read Navajo text? If so, you undoubtedly realize why the Navajo language is so unique, and why it was ideal for use on the sands of Iwo Jima, and other battle sites in the Pacific during World War II. The sounds and the script of the Diné language go far beyond the complexities and syntax of the classical languages of Latin and Greek, in both its beauty and complexity. For me it is exquisite.

What a unique idea it was indeed to utilize it in the war effort. When the code talker story became public after the war, many Americans were ecstatic and rightfully so, lauding the achievements of these young Navajo men, a number of whom were teenagers at the time. There is no doubt that cultural diversity enhances our society, and the saga of the Navajo Code Talkers, is inspirational to true patriots.

In 2015, I met one of the Navajo Code Talkers at Monument Valley. Two years later, President Trump honored this same man along with other code talkers at the White House. Why he would allow an uninformed bureaucrat to trample on the saga of these brave soldiers—soldiers whose patriotism was exemplified in 1943 despite the historical trauma inflicted upon their ancestors during the Long Walk of 1863 – is difficult to comprehend.

If I were in the South Pacific in 1944, I would have preferred a Navajo Code Talker covering my back, rather than a government minion who is unaware of one of the greatest stories in American history.

Larry V. Larrichio, Ph.D
Research Associate Latin American & Iberian Institute
Adjunct Professor of New Mexico History
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, N.M.