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Navajo Code Talkers

Commemorates the work of the Navajos who enlisted in the armed services following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The military soon learned that the purely oral nature of the Navajo language made it especially useful as a basis for creating a communications code that was virtually impossible to break. Notable among the battles in which the code was a decisive factor was the Battle of Iwo Jima. Many code talkers are still living on the Navajo reservation in northern Arizona.

Originally submitted by: J.D. Hayworth, Representative (6th District).



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The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.

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