MacDonald: Navajo code was a weapon!
Pentagon restores histories of Navajo Code Talkers, Native veterans
Navajo Times | Krista Allen
A portrait of the first 29 Navajo Code Talkers is displayed. The first 29 were organized ino the 382nd Platoon. This was the first all-Native, all-Navajo platoon in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps. Another 370 Navajo men would join the ranks of the code talkers during the Pacific campaign of World War II.
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The Pentagon on Wednesday restored webpages that highlighted the wartime contributions of the Navajo Code Talkers and other Native American veterans following backlash from tribes.
The removal was part of a broader effort to eliminate military content promoting diversity, equity inclusion. This action followed President Donald Trump’s executive order that ended federal DEI programs. As a result, the Defense Department deleted thousands of pages recognizing the contributions of women and minority groups, including the Navajo Code Talkers who served during World War II and used Diné Bizaad as a secret code in battle. Officials stated that the Navajo Code Talkers content was mistakenly removed.
Navajo Times | Krista Allen
Portraits of the Navajo Code Talkers are on display inside the Navajo Code Talkers Museum in Tuba City on March 20.
When Navajo Code Talker Peter MacDonald Sr., 98, learned about the removal, the former tribal chairman was hurt.
“Because Navajo code was not DEI,” MacDonald said at his home in Tuba City on Friday morning. “Nothing! It has absolutely nothing to do with DEI!
“As a matter of fact, Navajo code, when it was developed in early 1942, there was no such thing as DEI. A need existed against a very tough enemy that we had in the Pacific War,” he said. “The Japanese were breaking every military code that was being used … making it impossible to surprise the enemy or to get into their network without them knowing what our plans are.
“They knew what our plans were … by breaking all military codes that were being used in the Pacific War,” he continued. “Navajo code was a weapon!”
Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said on Friday morning that it’s not the DEI, but a trust and treaty obligation.
“I’m glad that many of the tribal leaders throughout the country are saying that,” Nez said. “Because we need to take this administration (Trump) to court because those are promises made. Of course, there’s so many broken promises.
“It is a shame that we are seeing a movement across this country to delete history from our textbooks and now,” he continued, “on websites. And it didn’t just begin now. It’s this critical race theory movement that happened. Now, with the president (Trump), he’s saying that he is mandated to do so.”
Navajo Times | Krista Allen
Names of the Navajo Code Talkers are on display inside the Navajo Code Talkers Museum in Tuba City on March 20.
Nez believes that Trump needs to be reminded that only 52.2 percent of people in Arizona voted for him and 46.7 percent voted for Kamala Harris.
“So, when he says it’s a mandate, it’s not a mandate,” Nez said. “And to frame it in a way that it’s a mandate is unacceptable for the other people. Right now, we’re seeing a big divide throughout this country and a lot of pushback.
“We honor our heroes. We honor our Navajo Code Talkers. They are sacred to us. And we are going to continue to stand up for them and our warriors, our veterans,” he added. “They have contributed great things to this country. The freedoms of this country as we know. Our language was used to win.”
President Buu Nygren on Tuesday sent a letter to the Pentagon demanding an explanation for the removal of the Navajo Code Talkers webpage.
“Recognizing the work of the Navajo Code Talkers is profoundly significant to the Navajo Nation,” Nygren wrote in the letter. He added that as a sovereign entity, federal initiatives should not affect tribal recognition, including initiatives related to the DEI.
There are only two Navajo Code Talkers still alive today: MacDonald and Thomas H. Begay.
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