Code Talker passes on

Code Talker passes on
Submitted Navajo Code Talker Peter Bitsie, poses with his Congressional Gold Media. Family members say Bitsie has passed on. He was 92.

Submitted
Navajo Code Talker Peter Bitsie, poses with his Congressional Gold Media. Family members say Bitsie has passed on. He was 92.

GALLUP

Peter Bitsie, who was among the second group of Navajos be be trained as Code Talkers, died Saturday. He was 92.

Bitsie is the brother of the late Wilsie Bitsie, who was among the first 29 Navajos to be trained as Code Talkers.

Navajo Code Talker Peter Bitsie's Congressional Gold Medal is displayed against a Pendleton blanket. Family members say Bitsie has passed on. He was 92.

Navajo Code Talker Peter Bitsie’s Congressional Gold Medal is displayed against a Pendleton blanket. Family members say Bitsie has passed on. He was 92.

Bitsie entered the war in 1942 and saw action in several battles in the Pacific, using his native language as a code to fool the Japanese.

“We couldn’t have been any prouder,” Fran Thomas, daughter of Bitsie. “He didn’t ask for much. He was a humble man.”

Family members said funeral arrangements are pending but the service is expected to be in Mexican Springs where he grew up and lived.


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About The Author

Bill Donovan

Bill Donovan wrote about Navajo Nation government and its people since 1971. He joined Navajo Times in 1976, and retired from full-time reporting in 2018 to move to Torrance, Calif., to be near his kids. He continued to write for the Times until his passing in August 2022.

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