"My weapon was my language, and that language probably saved countless lives." (Video Interview, Part 4, 27:15)

Keith M. Little

Keith Little [detail from video] War: World War II, 1939-1946 Branch: Marine Corps Unit: 4th Marine Division Service Location: Iwo Jima; Pacific Theater Rank: Private Place of Birth: Navajo, NM

After a hardscrabble upbringing, Keith Little was determined to contribute to the war effort when he learned about the attack on Pearl Harbor. The problem was, he was only 15 years old at the time and had to wait two years to enlist. A stranger signed for him to become a Marine, and Little signed up for the code talker program. Little witnessed some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific Theater, while helping to maintain communications with a code that the Japanese couldn't crack.