Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII

Nez shares his experiences with Navajo purification rituals during the early 1930s. The chapter opens with his descriptions of bathing in a natural spring at his grandmother’s property, which lacked indoor plumbing.

Then, Nez describes the traditional Navajo sweat bath, which was a male-only ceremony at that time. Nez participated in his first sweat bath at the age of five, joining his father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Coolidge. The sweat lodge stood partially underground, built with wooden poles in a dome-like shape and insulated with dirt, blankets, and rugs.

The ceremony required specific preparations. Participants gathered fine sand from a riverbed, volcanic rocks for heating, and medicinal plants including sage and juniper. After heating the rocks outside, they brought them into the lodge. The participants entered wearing minimal clothing and said prescribed prayers. Inside the dark space, they created steam by pouring herb-infused water over the hot rocks. The adult men sang traditional songs about the four cardinal directions, with the younger participants joining in on the songs they knew.

The hour-long ceremony combined physical and spiritual elements. After concluding with exit prayers, participants cleaned themselves using riverbed sand. Nez maintains that the ceremony’s success required proper mental preparation and serious reflection from each participant. The ritual aimed to maintain physical and spiritual well-being while establishing connections with natural forces.

This chapter recounts the federal government’s livestock reduction program in Navajo territory during the mid-1930s. As a young teenager, Nez witnessed Bureau of Indian Affairs workers arriving at his family’s property with heavy machinery to dig large trenches. When the workers returned, they instructed families to herd their livestock into these pits. Nez’s family was forced to move 700 of their 1,000 sheep and goats into the trench, after which the animals were doused with flammable materials and burned alive. Their deaths were marked by horrific sounds and smells that haunted young Nez.

The author explains that sheep represented wealth in Navajo culture, and his grandmother’s substantial herd resulted from years of dedicated work. The family maintained a modest prosperity despite the Great Depression affecting the broader nation. The massacre eliminated this financial security and dealt a severe emotional blow to the family, who had developed personal connections with many of their animals.

Nez contextualizes this event within the political landscape of the 1930s. The reduction program emerged from four concurrent factors: concerns about overgrazing on reservation lands, plans for a national park on Navajo territory, pressure on Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Collier to address land rehabilitation, and promises of reservation expansion in exchange for livestock reduction. The program reduced the Navajo sheep population from 1.6 million in 1932 to 400,000 by 1944.

However, the government’s promised compensations never materialized. Plans for reservation expansion, public works employment, and educational programs remained unfulfilled. Some families received minimal payment for their losses, while others received none. Most of the meat from destroyed animals went to waste, with only a small portion preserved for later distribution.

The massacre’s impact extended beyond immediate economic losses. Nez describes how it transformed Navajo social structures by damaging community relationships. Traditional practices of mutual aid diminished as families began fencing their remaining grazing lands. The employment of some Navajos as government exterminators created internal tensions. The policy undermined the community’s work ethic by demonstrating that accumulated wealth could be arbitrarily destroyed by government decree. Nez identifies this event as the second most significant tragedy in Navajo history, after the Long Walk, and notes its preservation in Navajo oral tradition.

Despite these events and additional hardships, including his sister Dora falling ill with tuberculosis, Nez maintained his commitment to education at Fort Defiance. Though he found life easier at home, he continued his schooling to honor his family’s wishes.

Nez describes his transition from boarding school to military service during World War II. After attending schools at Fort Defiance, Gallup, and Tuba City, his life changed dramatically when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, prompting the United States to enter World War II.

The Navajo Tribal Council demonstrated early support for the American war effort. In spring 1940, before the U.S. entered the conflict, the Council passed a unanimous resolution pledging loyalty to the American government. This commitment stemmed from the Navajo people’s deep connection to their homeland and desire to protect their nation and families.

In April 1942, Marine Corps recruiters arrived at Tuba City, seeking young Navajo men fluent in both English and Navajo for a classified project. From hundreds of applicants, the Marines selected 30 men, though one dropped out, creating what became known as the “original twenty-nine.” Nez and his friend Roy Begay passed the selection process, viewing it as an opportunity to serve their country and explore life beyond the reservation.

The recruitment initiative originated from Philip Johnston, a missionary’s son who grew up on the Navajo reservation. Johnston proposed using the Navajo language as the foundation for an unbreakable military code. The language’s complexity, lack of written form, and limited number of non-Navajo speakers made it ideal. Previous military experience with Native American languages in World War I had proven successful, but the Germans had subsequently studied many tribal languages—though not Navajo. The Navajo language remained pure from English influences, as Navajo speakers created new words for modern inventions rather than adopting English terms.

At the Marine Corps Recruit Depot near San Diego, the training process challenged the Navajo men culturally more than physically. While they excelled at physical tasks and marksmanship, they struggled with cultural differences such as making direct eye contact and responding to shouted commands—practices that contradicted traditional Navajo customs. Despite these challenges, Platoon 382 achieved one of the highest marksmanship scores in Marine Corps history and mastered various military skills, including radio operation—though they did not yet know how crucial this training would prove in their future deployment.

Nez reflects that his military service represented a significant departure from reservation life, but his boarding school experiences had prepared him for the discipline and separation from family. The chapter concludes with the platoon’s graduation and recognition for their exceptional performance.

In September 1942, while other Marine recruits received leave to visit their families after basic training, the 29 Navajo members of Platoon 382 remained at camp for a special assignment. Nez composed a letter to his family, who believed he still attended school in Tuba City, explaining his enlistment in the Marines and his impending deployment.

The Marine Corps tasked these Navajo recruits with developing an unbreakable military code based on their native language. The group worked in a secured classroom, and they were forbidden from discussing their assignment with outsiders. They selected English words representing each letter of the alphabet, then translated these words into Navajo, creating a dual encryption system. The team prioritized words that could be clearly distinguished over radio communications, considering pronunciation nuances and dialectical differences.

The complexity of the Navajo language made it an ideal basis for the code. The language’s tonal nature, precise verb forms, and intricate relationship with the natural world made it nearly impossible for non-native speakers to master. Previous attempts by missionaries to document the language had proven challenging due to its complexity.

Three of the men—Gene Crawford, John Benally, and John Manuelito—helped guide the group to establish their initial code framework. They refined their system through extensive practice, ensuring each member could transmit messages accurately and swiftly. By the conclusion of their development phase, the code had proven resistant to attempts at decryption, even by expert code breakers from the U.S. military.

Later iterations of the code expanded to include multiple Navajo words for each letter and incorporated over 400 additional military terms. The code received official Marine Corps approval after demonstrating remarkable speed and accuracy in transmitting messages. In late September 1942, the group graduated as Navajo code talkers and received promotion to Private First Class, immediately preparing for deployment to New Caledonia.

In October 1942, Nez and his fellow code talkers embarked on the USS Lurline, a converted luxury liner, bound for New Caledonia. The journey challenged the Marines with severe seasickness, cramped conditions, and intense humidity. The code talkers maintained their spirits through group activities, including singing and card games, while continuing to practice their code.

Upon reaching New Caledonia, the code talkers reunited with their colleagues who had arrived on different vessels. Of the original 32 men who developed the code at Camp Elliott, 30 deployed to the South Pacific theater. The group encountered an unwelcoming atmosphere from the local French population, despite France’s alliance with the United States in the European theater.

The code talkers underwent intensive training on Grande Terre, the main island of New Caledonia. Their preparation included combat exercises, swimming drills, and night landing practice. The tropical environment presented new challenges, from dangerous wildlife to extreme weather conditions. The men maintained their cultural practices, including morning prayers and the use of medicine bags, while adapting to military life.

By late October 1942, the code talkers prepared to join the First Marine Division at Guadalcanal. They received briefings about Japanese military strategy, including the concept of bushido and the unwillingness of Japanese soldiers to surrender. This information heightened their awareness of the serious combat situation they would soon face.