Lecture – From ‘Chief’ to Code Talker: Four Profiles of the Navajo Code Talkers at Mustang Library

Location: Mustang Library – 10101 N 90th St, Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Presenter: Dr. Laura Tohe, ASU, Navajo Nation Poet Laureate

During WWII a group of young Navajo men enlisted in the Marines without knowing that they would be called on to develop a secret code against the Japanese military. This select group of Code Talkers devised a Navajo language code that was accurate, quick, never broken, and saved many American lives.  This talk profiles four Code Talkers who reflect on their lives growing up on the Navajo Nation homeland before and after the war, including my father.  They returned home without fanfare to continued poverty and lack of economic opportunity, yet persevered and overcame obstacles that helped change the Navajo Nation and their communities. They tell their stories with poignancy that reflect their resiliency and self-determination.  A power point presentation accompanies this talk.