Code Talkers

Chester Nez, 21, was crouched in a muddy hole with his buddy Roy Begay. Bullets whizzed over their heads. Bombs crashed around them. 

It was almost midnight on November 4, 1942. World War II—the biggest conflict in history—was raging around the globe. The two men had just arrived on Guadalcanal (gwah-duhl-cuh-NAL), an island in the Pacific Ocean. For months, the United States had been battling Japan for control of the island.

Nez and Begay were U.S. Marines. They were also members of the Navajo Nation, a Native people from the U.S. Southwest. Their job on Guadalcanal was top secret. Months before, they had helped invent a code using Diné (dee-NEH), their Native language, so American troops could secretly communicate with each other.

If their code worked, Nez and Begay could do more than help their fellow Marines take the island. They could help win the war.

That night on Guadalcanal, Nez huddled beside Begay. Heavy rain poured down in thick sheets, filling the hole where they were hiding nearly to their chests. Nez had never been more terrified. He tried to stay focused, though. He and Begay had a job to do. 

But first, they would have to survive the night.

Chester Nez, 21, was crouched in a muddy hole. He was with his buddy Roy Begay. Bullets whizzed over their heads. Bombs crashed around them.

It was almost midnight on November 4, 1942. World War II was being fought around the globe. The two men had just arrived on an island in the Pacific Ocean. For months, the United States had been fighting Japan for control of the island.

Nez and Begay were U.S. Marines. They were also members of the Navajo Nation, a Native people from the U.S. Southwest. Their job on the island, called Guadalcanal (gwah-duhl-cuh-NAL) was top secret. Months before, they had helped invent a code using their Native language, Diné (dee-NEH). The code would let American troops share messages with each other in secret.

If their code worked, Nez and Begay could help the U.S. win the war.

That night, heavy rain poured down in thick sheets. It filled the hole where Nez and Begay were hiding nearly to their chests. Nez had never been more scared. He tried to stay focused, though. He and Begay had a job to do.

But first, they would have to survive the night.

For Chester Nez, being both Navajo and a Marine was complicated. The Navajo people had a painful history with the U.S. government. In the 1860s, the U.S. made war on the Navajo and forced them off their lands. By the time they were allowed to return home, thousands of Navajo people had died. 

Around that time, U.S. officials also ordered that Native children be removed from their families and educated to be “like other Americans.” From 1869 to the 1960s, hundreds of thousands of Native children were sent to so-called Indian boarding schools. There, they were forbidden from speaking their languages and following their cultures. 

Nez was one of these children. In 1929, when he was 8, he was sent from his home in New Mexico to the Fort Defiance School in Arizona. 

It was not a good place for Nez. His long hair was cut off. His clothing was taken from him. Adults at the school treated the children coldly and punished them harshly. When Nez was caught speaking Diné, his teeth were brushed with bitter soap. 

Nez stayed at Fort Defiance until high school, when he was sent to another school. Though he was able to go home for short visits, Nez had little contact with his family over the years. Yet he was determined to hold on to his culture and his language. 

And it would be Diné, the language he was told to forget, that would one day help turn the tide in World War II.

For Chester Nez, being both Navajo and a Marine was complicated. The Navajo people had a painful history with the U.S. government. In the 1860s, the U.S. forced the Navajo off their lands. By the time the Navajo were allowed to return home, thousands had died.

U.S. officials also ordered Native children to be removed from their families. From 1869 to the 1960s, many thousands of Native children were sent to places called Indian boarding schools. They were to be taught to be “like other Americans.” They were not allowed to speak their languages. They could not follow their cultures.

Nez was one of these children. When he was 8, he was sent from his home in New Mexico to a school in Arizona.

It was not a good place for Nez. His long hair was cut off. His clothing was taken from him. Adults at the school treated the children badly and punished them harshly. When Nez was caught speaking Diné, his teeth were brushed with bad-tasting soap.

Nez stayed there until high school. Then he was sent to another school. He was able to go home only for short visits. He didn’t see much of his family over the years. Yet he tried hard not to forget his culture and his language.

And it would be Diné, the language he was told not to speak, that would one day help turn the tide in World War II.

The U.S. entered World War II in December 1941, when Nez was in 10th grade. During the war, the U.S. would fight in two parts of the world: in Europe, against Germany and Italy, and in the Pacific, against Japan. 

By the spring of 1942, things weren’t looking good in the Pacific. Japanese forces had seized control of much of the Pacific Ocean. On the West Coast, many Americans feared invasion. 

Nez longed to join the war. He understood that the U.S. had once fought the Navajo. He also understood that the U.S. was now the Navajo people’s country too. He wanted to fight to protect his homeland.

In April 1942, Nez got his chance. That month, the Marine Corps came to the reservation where the Navajo lived, looking for Navajo men to join. Nez eagerly signed up. 

Finishing high school would have to wait.

The U.S. entered World War II in December 1941. Nez was in 10th grade. During the war, the U.S. would fight in two parts of the world. In Europe, they fought against Germany and Italy. In the Pacific, they battled Japan.

By the spring of 1942, things weren’t looking good in the Pacific. Japanese forces had seized control of much of the Pacific Ocean.

Nez longed to join the war. He understood that the U.S. had once fought the Navajo. He also understood that the U.S. was now the Navajo people’s country too. He wanted to fight for his homeland.

In April 1942, the Marine Corps came to the reservation where the Navajo lived. They were looking for Navajo men to join. Nez signed up.

Finishing high school would have to wait.

Nez didn’t know it yet, but he had been recruited for a top secret project: to help the Marines create an unbreakable code. 

At the time, troops communicated with each other by sending messages over the radio. But those messages could be overheard by anyone, including enemies. So they had to be sent in code. 

How? Troops first used a special machine to turn the message into numbers and letters. Once the message was received, it was decoded—or read—using another machine. The whole process could take hours. 

Worse, the Japanese had proved to be expert code breakers. They had figured out every American code so far. 

That was a dangerous and deadly problem. Once Japanese forces had cracked a code, they could predict the Marines’ every move—where the Marines were going to be, how many troops they had, what their battle plans were. 

The Marines believed that Diné could be the solution. The Navajo language has complex grammar and uses many different sounds. It is extremely difficult to learn unless one begins as a young child. Aside from one small grammar book published in 1926, there were no books about Diné at the time. No one other than the Navajo people spoke it well. 

Nez didn’t know it yet, but he had been recruited for a top secret project. It was to help the Marines create an unbreakable code.

At the time, troops sent messages to each other over the radio. But anyone could hear those messages, including enemies. So they had to be sent in code.

But the Japanese were expert code breakers. They had figured out every American code so far.

That was a dangerous and deadly problem. Once Japanese forces had cracked a code, they could find out the Marines’ battle plans.

The Marines believed that Diné could be the answer. The Navajo language has complex grammar. It uses many different sounds. It’s extremely difficult to learn unless one begins as a young child. No one other than the Navajo people spoke it well.

Hundreds of Navajo men joined the Marines. In the end, only 29—including Nez—were selected to create a secret code using their language. Those men became known as the “Original 29.”

Immediately, the men got to work. For every letter of the English alphabet, they chose a Diné word. For A, they used the Diné word for ant, pronounced wol-la-chee. B became the Navajo word for bear, pronounced shush. 

To make the code harder to break, more than one Navajo word was chosen for vowels and other frequently used letters. So A was also the Diné word for apple, pronounced be-la-sana. The men picked other words for military terms and places. The Diné word for eggs meant bomb. The word for mother meant United States.

Over the next three months, the men created and perfected the code. Night after night, they practiced, speaking coded messages to each other. The men soon became known as the “code talkers.” Yet they couldn’t tell anyone what they were doing.

Now the only thing left to do was to test the secret code on the battlefield. In November 1942, Nez and the other Navajo Marines arrived on Guadalcanal to do exactly that.

Hundreds of Navajo men joined the Marines. In the end, only 29—including Nez—were selected to create a secret code using their language. Those men were known as the “Original 29.”

The men got to work. For every letter of the English alphabet, they chose a Diné word. For A, they used the Diné word for ant, pronounced wol-la-chee. B became the Navajo word for bear, pronounced shush.

To make the code harder to break, more than one Navajo word was chosen for vowels and other common letters. So A was also the Diné word for apple. The men picked other words for military terms and places. The Diné word for eggs meant bomb. The word for mother meant United States.

Over the next three months, the men perfected the code. Night after night, they practiced. The men soon became known as the “code talkers.” Yet they couldn’t tell anyone what they were doing.

Now the only thing left was to test the secret code on the battlefield. In November 1942, Nez and the other Navajo Marines arrived on Guadalcanal to do just that.

When morning dawned on November 5, after that horrible night, Nez looked up at the sun. He and Begay had hardly slept in their muddy hole. They grabbed their 30-pound radio and moved to a new spot.

Suddenly, another Marine approached with important information: Japanese soldiers were hiding nearby with their machine guns, ready to attack. The moment had come for Nez to send his first coded message. 

One mistake could be deadly. The American soldiers might fire in the wrong direction, accidentally hurting their own men.

His heart pounding, Nez picked up the radio and began to speak in Diné. The message was received by a pair of code talkers on an American ship offshore. They translated it into English: Enemy machine guns on your right side. Destroy.

Minutes later, the ship’s weapons roared to life. The Japanese machine guns exploded.

“You see that?” Nez asked.

“Sure did,” Begay replied.

The code had worked.

Morning dawned on November 5, after that horrible night. Nez looked up at the sun.

He and Begay had hardly slept in their muddy hole. They grabbed their heavy radio and moved to a new spot.

Suddenly, another Marine came by with important information. Japanese soldiers were hiding nearby with their machine guns.

They were ready to attack. The moment had come for Nez to send his first coded message.

His heart pounding, Nez picked up the radio. He began to speak in Diné. The message was received by a pair of code talkers on an American ship. They changed it into

English: Enemy machine guns on your right side. Destroy.

Minutes later, the ship’s weapons roared to life. The Japanese machine guns exploded.

“You see that?” Nez asked.

“Sure did,” Begay replied.

The code had worked.

Within less than two days of their arrival on Guadalcanal, it was clear that the code talkers were key to the war effort. Before long, every crucial radio message in the Pacific was sent using the Navajo code. 

Code talkers warned of enemy ship movements and attack plans. They called for food and medical supplies. They dodged enemy fire, lugging their heavy radios through mud and rain. 

By the start of 1943, thanks in large part to Nez and his fellow code talkers, the U.S. had taken control of Guadalcanal. Finally, there was hope America and its allies could win the war. 

New code talkers were trained, until there were more than 400. For the next two-and-a-half years, American forces fought to gain control of islands in the Pacific. The Navajo Marines were an important part of taking every island. All the while, the code was never broken.

Soon it was clear that the code talkers were key to the war effort. Before long, every crucial radio message in the Pacific was sent using the Navajo code.

Code talkers warned of enemy ship movements and attack plans. They called for food and medical supplies. They dragged their heavy radios through mud and rain while the enemy shot at them.

By 1943, the U.S. had taken control of Guadalcanal. That was largely thanks to Nez and the other code talkers. There was hope America and its allies could win the war.

New code talkers were trained. Over time, there were more than 400. For more than two years, American forces fought to gain control of Pacific islands. The Navajo Marines were an important part of taking every island. All the while, the code was never broken.

In August 1945, Japan surrendered. World War II was over at last. 

Soon, Nez found himself back in New Mexico with his family. It was a happy reunion. Yet Nez couldn’t tell his loved ones about his role in the war. The code talkers were still under strict orders to keep their work a secret. 

Nez went on to finish high school and then got a degree in art at the University of Kansas. He married and started a family. 

As for the code? In 1968, new technology made it possible to send secure messages by radio as fast as the Navajo teams had done. Now that the Navajo code was no longer needed, the story of the code talkers could be shared with the public at last. 

After keeping their secret for 23 years, Nez and the other code talkers could finally be recognized for being heroes. In 2001, they traveled to the White House, where they were awarded medals by President George W. Bush. Nez passed away in 2014, at the age of 93—the last surviving member of the Original 29.

Yet the legacy of the code talkers lives on. This legacy is about more than the pride Native people feel in the crucial work they did during the war. It’s also about the importance of language and culture. 

Today, among the Navajo Nation’s 400,000 members, 170,000 people speak Diné. Across the country, Native Nations are working to save their languages, many of which have been in danger of disappearing. In many ways, these efforts have been inspired by the incredible work of the code talkers. 

In August 1945, Japan surrendered. World War II was over at last.

Soon Nez was happily back in New Mexico with his family. Yet he couldn’t tell his loved ones about his role in the war. The code talkers were still under strict orders to keep their work a secret.

Nez went on to finish high school and then study at the University of Kansas. He married and started a family.

As for the code? In 1968, new inventions made it possible to safely send messages by radio as fast as the Navajo teams had done. Once Navajo code was no longer needed, the story of the code talkers could finally be shared.

Nez and the other code talkers had kept their secret for 23 years. At last everyone could know they were heroes. In 2001, they traveled to the White House. They were awarded medals by President George W. Bush. Nez passed away in 2014, at the age of 93. He was the last surviving member of the Original 29.

Yet the legacy of the code talkers lives on. This legacy is about more than the pride Native people feel in the important work they did during the war. It’s also about the importance of language and culture.

Today the Navajo Nation has 400,000 members, and 170,000 of them speak Diné. Across the country, Native Nations are working to save their languages. In many ways, these efforts have been inspired by the incredible work of the code talkers.