Table of Contents
What did Code Talkers do if they were captured?
“They were told that if – if a code talker was captured to shoot him,” he says. When the American flag finally was raised on Iwo Jima, the first news went out in Navajo code. When the war ended, the American G.I.s came home to a hero’s jubilant welcome, but the Navajo returned to the reservation – and silence.
More than 400 qualified Navajo Code Talkers served during WWII and only four are still living. He continues to share his story and experience as a Navajo Code Talker. MacDonald served in the Marine Corps from 1944 to 1946.
Are there any code talkers still alive 2021?
The Code Talkers participated in every major Marine operation in the Pacific. Only four are still alive. Currently, the Young Marines are raising funds for their trip to Arizona in mid-August to meet these ingenious men.
How many of the Navajo Code Talkers are still alive today May 2020?
four
More than 400 qualified Navajo Code Talkers served during WWII and only four are still living. Marine Corps Veteran Peter MacDonald (pictured above) is one of those four. He continues to share his story and experience as a Navajo Code Talker.
The Navajo soldier, forced to listen to the jumbled words of talker transmissions, said to a code talker after the war, “I never figured out what you guys who got me into all that trouble were saying.” In 1942, there were about 50,000 Navajo tribe members. As of 1945, about 540 Navajos served as Marines.
At Iwo Jima, Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal officer, declared, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.” Connor had six Navajo code talkers working around the clock during the first two days of the battle. Those six sent and received over 800 messages, all without error.
Did the Japanese ever crack the Navajo code?
The Japanese, who were skilled code breakers, remained baffled by the Navajo language. The Japanese chief of intelligence, Lieutenant General Seizo Arisue, said that while they were able to decipher the codes used by the U.S. Army and Army Air Corps, they never cracked the code used by the Marines.
What role did code talkers play in WW2?
The Code Talkers participated in every major Marine operation in the Pacific theater, giving the Marines a critical advantage throughout the war. During the nearly month-long battle for Iwo Jima, for example, six Navajo Code Talker Marines successfully transmitted more than 800 messages without error.