World War II was one of the biggest wars the world has ever witnessed. If the US hadn’t stopped the Japanese and Germans our way of life could be completely different. The balance of the world could be shifted forever. Although many Americans give credit to the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki for ending the war other things or people contributed majorly to the ending of World War II. A code, still undeciphered to this day, should be given major credit for the US’ success during the war. The Navajo Code Talkers were Native Americans who translated, encoded, and decoded messages during World War II. (Demma) What the code talkers accomplished amounts to much of the US’ success at Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal. After the Choctaw code talkers success in World War I the US was open to new code ideas during World War II. As normal American citizens learned that the American codes were being deciphered, an …show more content…
Remembering how difficult the language was to speak and understand he urged military leaders to use the language in a code. Leaders finally took a chance and recruited 30 Navajos to test out the code.(McCabe) Because the Navajo people didn’t keep birth records many of the Navajos were able to lie about their age and enlist with the original 30, people as young as 15 were enlisted. During training one Navajo dropped out due to undocumented reasons. In the 19th century the US government persecuted the Navajos, forcing the children to stop speaking and learning the language in boarding schools designed to eradicate the Native American culture.(Kirkus Reviews) Ultimately, the Navajo, who at one time were forbidden to speak their own language by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, used that language to help the United States win the war. Eventually the 382nd platoon was created specifically for Navajo code talkers.(Pash) The Navajos served in all six marine divisions, taking part in every assault the