During World War II (WWII) in the South Pacific, more than 110,000 Americans were killed and another 250,000 were injured. Americans soldiers were not used to the climate, geography, or the style of fighting. The Japanese began intercepting and easily decoding the American messages. It became even more difficult to fight the Japanese and the American casualties kept building up. Because of the courage and dedication to America exhibited by the Navajo code talkers, WWII ended faster and with less casualties than if the Marines had used only traditional codes and coders. There was a great need for strong codes during the war. The Japanese were very good at wiretapping, and many spoke English fluently. Once, while a battalion commanding officer …show more content…
When transmitting some words that had to be spelled, the code talkers had to repeat commonly used letters, which made the code vulnerable (Paul, 2003). Because of this, they created two more words for the most common letters, and one more for a few other letters that were not quite as common (Paul, 2003). The alphabet was now 44 words, and because they added more words for other military terms, the whole code was increased by 200 words (Paul, 2003). The additions to the code made it much harder for the Navajos to learn, but it also made it much more effective. The expansion of the code helped the allies win the …show more content…
The islands were inhabited with many kinds of poisonous creatures and plants (Paul, 2003). Before one island landing, a medical bulletin was issued describing 19 different plants and animals to avoid, along with telling the Marines to avoid the inhabitants (Paul, 2003). The Marines perseverance and determination in taking the islands and their willingness to sacrifice themselves for Americaleavesmany reasons for Americans to be thankful. The Marines had to deal with many adverse conditions in the South Pacific. The Navajos were better suited to the style of fighting. Much of the fighting involved sneaking around in small groups and fighting, much like the old Indian style (Paul, 2003). Maneuvering in the darkness was also easier for the Navajos, because they were used to the absence of light on the reservations (Paul, 2003). The tougher life that the Navajos lived on the reservation was a huge benefit during the war. Many parts of the reservation life helped the code talkers in the