Who were they? 29 Navajo men originally served as code talkers, by the end of the war over 400 Navajo men were enlisted as code talkers. Of these men the ages ranged between mostly 18 to 25. What was the purpose? They were chosen specifically so that the US military could communicate about advancement strategies, supply drops, bombings, and defensive maneuvers. Why were they chosen? Prior to the military selecting the Navajo language to use as a code, the Japanese had been cracking their other codes and intercepting their plans. The military believed that the complex language of the Navajo would confound their enemies in the east. Prior to this the Americans used the choctaw language during the first world war which worked wonders against the Germans. …show more content…
Yes, the Navajo code was the only language the Japanese could not crack. During the battle of Iwo Jima the Navajo code talkers sent and received 800 messages without a single error. Treatment during and after the war: Many fellow soldiers respected the aptitude of the code talkers and many native americans were awarded with high military honors. However due to many if not almost all medical practitioners in reservations were drafted to fight the quality of life in these reservations deteriorated and government funds that previously helped them were shifted over to fund the war. For many Natives this war was their first exposure to American society prompting an exodus of Natives into the larger society. This of course resulted in both good and bad, for one the average native american household salary rose significantly after the war, However many soldiers who came back from the war subsequently faced post traumatic stress disorder resulting in alcoholism and death. The Navajo code talkers did not receive any services recognizing their work during ww2. Only in 2001 did the surviving members original Navajo men receive the congressional gold medal for their