How were the code talkers recruited?

How were the code talkers recruited?

In 1942, the U.S. Marines recruited 29 Navajo men to be Navajo Code Talkers. Each recruit had to meet the general qualifications of a Marine as well as be fluent in Navajo and English. The recruits were brought to the Recruit Depot in San Diego on May 5 for seven weeks of basic training.

Who hired the Navajo Code Talkers?

The Marine Corps
The Marine Corps initiated its employment of the Navajo code talkers with its first cohort of 29 recruits in May 1942. They served in all of the marine divisions and took part in their major campaigns.

How were the Navajo Code Talkers recognized?

Finally, in 2000, the United States Congress passed legislation to honor the Navajo Code Talkers and provided them with special gold and silver Congressional Medals. The gold medals were for the original twenty-nine Navajos that developed the code, and the silver medals for those that served later in the program.

How many Navajos were recruited at first?

29 Navajos
On May 5, 1942, the first 29 Navajos arrived at the Recruit Depot in San Diego, California, for basic training, where they trained in the standard procedures of the military and in weapons use.

When were the Navajo code talkers recruited?

1942
The US Army was the first branch of the military that began recruiting code talkers from places like Oklahoma in 1940. Other branches, such as the US Marines and Navy, followed a few years later, and the first class of 29 Navajo code talker US Marine recruits completed its training in 1942.

What was the purpose job of Navajo code talkers?

Most people have heard of the famous Navajo (or Diné) code talkers who used their traditional language to transmit secret Allied messages in the Pacific theater of combat during World War II.

Why were the Navajo code talkers kept secret?

The role of the Navajo code breakers was kept a secret until 1968. It was claimed that the main reason for this was that the military might want to use the code again after the war. Another factor might have been because the government had for many years been involved in trying to destroy the Navajo language.

Which branch of the US military used the Navajo code talkers?

The US Army was the first branch of the military that began recruiting code talkers from places like Oklahoma in 1940. Other branches, such as the US Marines and Navy, followed a few years later, and the first class of 29 Navajo code talker US Marine recruits completed its training in 1942.

What did Navajo code talkers use to send the messages?

The Code Talkers sent communications by telephone and radio in their native language, substituting Navajo words for military terms that weren’t part of their language. For example, the word for “bomb” was “potato” and the names of different birds stood in for different types of aircraft.

Why were Navajo code talkers used during WW2?

Their encrypted code, which was never cracked by the enemy, helped the U.S. win their way across the Pacific front from 1942 to 1945. Historians argue that the Navajo Code Talkers helped expedite the end of the war and, undoubtedly, saved thousands of lives.