Legends of war share their stories in Fort Worth

Published April 7, 2015
By Staff Sgt. Melissa Harvey
301st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JOINT RESERVE BASE, Texas -- More than seven decades ago, hundreds of Native Americans became legends. And, on March 20, 2015, Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, and civilians alike met two of those legends at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas.

Peter MacDonald and Dan Akee were among more than 200 Navajos who served their country by joining the Marines as code talkers during World War II -- less than 30 remain today.

"In World War II, Navajo code talkers made a real, significant contribution. It has become one of the legacies of World War II. And, it's not just Marine Corps or Navajo legacy, I believe it's America's legacy," MacDonald said.

People from across the base gathered into the bowling alley to hear these legends. Addressing the crowd, the former Marine explained the inception of the Navajo Code Talker program.

"Obviously, [this is] a rare treat for us. These gentlemen are national treasures," said Navy Captain Gil Miller, NAS Fort Worth JRB commander.
Others were enthralled as well.

"I was impressed with the fact that the Navajo members did not have what we would classify as formal education," said Air Force Capt. Chelsea Migura, 301st Fighter Wing equal opportunity officer at the code talker gathering. "Yet, in spite of this, those men created and memorized extensive codes, which lead to the Allied success."

Code Talkers told the audience they worked as radiomen, but their mission included much more.

During the war, Marines needed a way to communicate without the Japanese knowing. From an idea of Philip Johnston, a son of a missionary to the Navajos, the Marine Corps established the Navajo Code Talker program in September 1942.

Johnston's rationale for this belief was that Navajo is an unwritten language and completely unintelligible to anyone except another Navajo and that it is a rich, fluent language for which code words, in Navajo, could be devised for specialized military terms.

After being recruited and completing boot camp, these Navajo Marines created the code, which included a dictionary and words for military terms. Each Navajo Code Talker had to memorize this code. During combat, Marines created a message, handed it to a code talker who would then translate it into Navajo and transmit it over radio. The Navajo would receive the message and translate it back to English. This transmission was faster than messages, which were encoded, transmitted, and decoded employing conventional cryptographic facilities and techniques.

"The opportunity for our Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines to be exposed to the Navajo Code Talkers is a once-in-a-lifetime [experience]," said Air Force Col. John Breazeale, commander of the 301st Fighter Wing.

The two code talkers toured the base and spoke with community partners, retirees as well as service men and women. Twenty-one service members from all branches dined with the legends as well.

"I cannot place any moment with these gentlemen over another, because I truly cherished every second," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Walter Pearson, a member of the 301st Security Forces Squadron, who was one of the members selected to dine with the two Navajo Code Talkers. "This was a moment in my career and life that I will never forget."

The Navajo Code Talkers' contribution to the war effort is also one that will not be forgotten.

Code Talkers took part in every assault the U.S. Marines conducted in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945. They served in all six Marine divisions, Marine Raider battalions and Marine parachute units, transmitting messages by telephone and radio in their native language -- a code the Japanese never broke. Decades later, the military declassified the code.

"Because what we did in World War II, what we Native Americans had done that was unique is really what represents America," MacDonald said.

"America is comprised of different nationalities, different tongues, different talents, and different skills. When the freedom and liberties that we all enjoy and love is threatened, we come together as one. That's why America is so strong."