Navajo Code Talkers In World War Two

There were between 375 and 420 Navajo Code Talkers over the course of World War Two (Adam Jevec). However, it wasn’t until 1968 (Adam Jevec) that these highly qualified individuals were recognized for their work. They were an important part of the United States’ success during World War Two.They had an amazing code that was almost impossible to break. Navajo Code Talkers majorly contributed to U.S. success in World War Two, had an unbreakable code, and had a deep and rich history with more obstacles than one could imagine.
One of the most important and best known American successes was winning the Second World War. World War Two is one of the most infamous wars in modern history. The two main powers in this war were the Axis Powers and the

success in World War Two. While there were many battles fought, one important battle was at Iwo Jima. In the article “American Indian Code Talkers,” it says, “5th Marine Division signal officer Major Howard Connor stated, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.” After this Iwo Jima served as an emergency landing site, saving the lives of 2400 airmen (Iwo Jima fact sheet). Code talkers sent over 800 messages across the lines without error during this battle (Sandi Gohn). In an interview, Chester Nez said, “We could never make a mistake, because many communications involved bombing coordinates.” Navajos sent and received all kinds of very important messages helping keep our troops safe and successful. By sending and receiving some of the Marine Corps’ most important code Navajos helped to secure the U.S. win in World War

The kind of code used was simple but the way the Navajo language was used made it hard to crack. “The code primarily used word association by assigning a Navajo word to key phrases and military tactics. This system enabled the Code Talkers to translate three lines of English in 20 seconds, not 30 minutes as was common with existing code-breaking machines.”(INTEL). This made it faster so there was less risk of the Radio talkers and code talkers being caught. Also, this helped tasks be completed quicker so that they could get more done as well as saving lives by communicating important information faster. Intell said, “At the end of the war the code remained unbroken.” This shows the code was good enough not to be cracked. According to the Los Angeles Times, “Tokyo had succeeded in breaking the U.S. and British diplomatic codes.” The Japanese were able to break other codes but not the Navajo code. This unbreakable code was one of the