Aaseng, Nathan. Navajo Code Talkers: America's Secret Weapon in World War II.
2005. Available in paperback. 114pp. Lexile: 1170.
This is a terrific story that deserves
a wide audience, yet was kept secret by government order for decades. During World War II, the Marines recruited
Navajos to develop and transmit an unbreakable code based on their native
language. The irony is that boarding schools for Indians run by the government
had vigorously tried to suppress Navajo and other Indian languages, washing out
children’s mouths with soap when they spoke their native language. The Navajo marines faced danger and death in
the Pacific as they received and transmitted messages on the forefront of the
fighting, messages instrumental in many key battles. As one major is quoted as
saying, “Were it not for the Navajo code, we would never have taken Iwo Jima.” This is not only a great war story but also a
story of great generosity as Navajos whose tribe had been severely mistreated
by the U.S. government nevertheless fought and died for their country. Includes a useful map of the Pacific battle
sites.
Fiction
tie-in Pair this with Joseph Bruchac’s 2005 novel, Code Talker, about a fictional Navajo
Marine, schooled at a harsh boarding school, where speaking Navajo is
punished. As a teenager, he joins the
Marines to be a code talker during the war, seeing brutal action in
Guadalcanal, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
