Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archive Grade Level: 6-10 Subject: History/Language Arts

Navajo Code Talkers

Navajo Code Talkers were honored Saturday, November 24, 2002, in a ceremony that many felt was long overdue. At the ceremony more than 300 Congressional Silver Medals were presented to the surviving Code Talkers. The initial 29 who created the code were honored with Congressional Gold Medals last summer in Washington. Those honored Saturday joined the group later in the war.

Code Talkers played a pivotal role in America's campaign against the Japanese at the end of World War II. Their secret code, based on the unwritten Navajo language, was never cracked by the enemy, and has been credited with saving thousands of lives and turning the tide of decisive battles in the Pacific.

The Code Talkers were sworn to secrecy about their roles in the war. It wasn’t until 1968 that the government declassified the project.

In this week's online lesson you will learn more about these remarkable Americans and their contributions and sacrifices in World War II.

Story of the Navajo Code Talkers

Your lesson this week begins with a visit to the U.S. Naval Historical Center and a site entitled Native Americans in the U.S. Military. This introductory page gives an overview of American Indians' contributions in combat and discusses the qualities and traits that make American Indians, in the words of an Army Major, "such outstanding soldiers."

What are the five traits mentioned in the article? How many American Indians fought with distinction during World War II? How many of those who served in Vietnam volunteered for duty? What does this tell you about the patriotism and spirit of Native Americans? How does Native American culture recognize and reinforce the warrior tradition?

Return to the top of the page and click Navajo Code Talker Fact Sheet. On this page you will read a brief history of the Code Talkers, where the idea originated, how the code was developed, and how the Code Talkers were used in combat. You will also read a simple explanation of how the Navajo-based code worked, why native Navajo speakers couldn't understand it, and why the Japanese never were able to crack it.

How long did it take the Navajos to encode, transmit, and decode a three line English message? How long did it take for machines of the time to perform the same job? Where did the first 29 Navajo recruits attend boot camp? Why did it take so long for the Navajo Code Talkers to be recognized and honored for their contributions?

For more history related to the Code Talkers, visit the Passages West: Monument Valley site and read The Navajo Code Talkers. This article gives a more detailed account of these Navajo Marines in the field. How many Code Talkers served in World War II in the Pacific? Who was King Mike and what did he do? What day was proclaimed Navajo Code Talker Day by President Regean?

Code Talker's Dictionary

Return now to Native Americans in the U.S. Military and click Navajo Code Talker Dictionary. The code was made up of English words translated into Navajo representing the English alphabet. For the letter A, a Code Talker could say either wol-la-chee (ant), be-la-sana (apple), or tse-nill (axe). The person receiving the code would translate the Navajo words back into English and use the first letters to decode the message.

The code also included special words for those frequently used in messages. Look at the translations for names of airplanes and ships. Which ones make the most sense? Using the dictionary, encode a short message to a friend. Give the friend the message and the dictionary along with directions for decoding your message.

Windtalkers

A major motion picture about the Navajo Code Talkers is scheduled for release at the end of 2002. The film, called Windtalkers, Marine Joe Enders (Nicolas Cage) is assigned to protect Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach) - a Navajo code talker, the Marines' new secret weapon. Enders' orders are to protect his code talker, but if Yahzee should fall into enemy hands, he's to "protect the code at all costs."

If you have Flash installed, visit the site and click The War at the top. Then read The History, The Navajo, and The Code in order. You will already have learned some of this information.

Next, click Interactive and then Map. When the interactive map opens, you will see the entire Pacific Theater with a timeline below. Drag the red timeline indicator you see at the bottom over any yellow tick mark and click. This will show you the location of a significant battle along with some details about the events there. Explore all the marked places on the timeline.

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