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

A banzai attack was a Japanese military tactic involving mass infantry charges, often used as a last-resort offensive when Japanese forces faced defeat. Nez describes these attacks as particularly terrifying due to their ferocity and the screaming of the charging Japanese soldiers. These attacks reflected the Japanese military’s emphasis on death before surrender, as soldiers would typically fight to the death rather than allow themselves to be captured. In Guam, Lieutenant General Takashina organized a notably well-coordinated banzai attack against U.S. positions, distinguishing it from previous such attacks by its higher level of organization and tactical sophistication. The term “banzai” literally means “ten thousand years” in Japanese and was used as a battle cry expressing loyalty to the Emperor.

The Checkerboard refers to a region of New Mexico characterized by its pattern of mixed land ownership among Navajo families, Anglo-Americans, and Hispanic residents. This area existed adjacent to but separate from the main Navajo Nation reservation, creating a complex patchwork of property rights and jurisdictions that complicated life for its residents. The region earned its name from the way these different parcels of land appeared when viewed on a map, resembling a checkerboard pattern. Living conditions in the Checkerboard area were particularly challenging, with residents experiencing more severe hardships than those living within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation proper, including limited access to food and lack of basic infrastructure such as electricity.

Chichiltah is Nez’s homeland in New Mexico. It means “among the oak trees.” The location holds deep personal and cultural significance for Nez, representing not only his family’s land but also the natural beauty and spiritual traditions of the Navajo people. In times of stress during combat, Nez often recalled mental images of Chichiltah’s seasonal changes, from its spring oak buds to its snow-covered winter landscape, as a source of comfort and connection to his cultural roots.

A chindí is a type of spirit or ghost in Navajo belief that remains after a person dies. In Code Talker, Nez describes how the chindí is believed to have the power to lead living people, especially children, into death. This belief led to the Navajo practice of moving gravely ill people away from their homes and keeping children separate from dying relatives.

The Diné is the traditional name the Navajo people use to refer to themselves, meaning “The People” in their language. In Code Talker, this term appears frequently as Nez shifts between using “Navajo” (the name given by outsiders) and “Diné” (the internal cultural identifier), reflecting the dual nature of Navajo identity in the modern world. The term carries deep cultural and spiritual significance, connecting to origin stories about how the Diné emerged into the current world through previous worlds.

A foxhole is a defensive fighting position that soldiers dig into the ground for protection during combat. Nez describes digging these temporary shelters with small folding shovels immediately upon landing at Guadalcanal, positioning them approximately 150 yards from the shoreline near the treeline. These crude shelters offered limited protection from enemy fire, though they often filled with rainwater in the tropical climate.

A Higgins boat is a specialized military landing craft used extensively during World War II amphibious operations. These vessels featured a unique design with a flat bottom, rectangular shape, and a front ramp that could be lowered for rapid deployment. Nez describes these boats as being partially bullet-resistant due to their metal armor plating. They were capable of carrying 36 fully equipped combat troops and were instrumental in delivering Marines to the shores of Guadalcanal.

A hogan refers to the traditional Navajo dwelling described in detail in Chapter 6 of Code Talker. The structure consists of eight walls made from carefully notched logs arranged in a circular pattern, with a domed roof featuring a central smoke hole for ventilation. The dwelling’s single doorway always faces east, following Navajo spiritual principles, and includes protective elements such as hunting bows mounted on both sides of the entrance. The building process combines practical construction methods with spiritual requirements, necessitating a blessing ceremony performed by a medicine man upon completion. Hogans serve as permanent family residences that protect inhabitants from extreme weather while providing space for domestic activities, spiritual practices, and community gatherings.

The livestock massacre refers to the federal government’s forced reduction of Navajo livestock during the mid-1930s, a program that devastated the economic and social fabric of Navajo communities. Under this policy, Bureau of Indian Affairs workers systematically destroyed large portions of Navajo sheep herds, particularly targeting families who owned more than 100 animals. The program, initiated under Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Collier, reduced the total Navajo sheep population from 1.6 million in 1932 to 400,000 by 1944. The government justified this action by citing concerns about overgrazing, but it failed to deliver on promises of compensation, reservation expansion, employment opportunities, and educational programs. Nez identifies this event as the second most significant tragedy in Navajo history after the Long Walk, noting how it undermined traditional practices of mutual aid, damaged community relationships, and destroyed the accumulated wealth of many families.

The Long Walk refers to the forced relocation of Navajo people in 1864, when U.S. military forces under Kit Carson compelled thousands to march 350 miles from Fort Defiance, Arizona, to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. During this brutal journey, many Navajo people died from exhaustion, illness, or military violence. Survivors faced imprisonment at Fort Sumner’s Bosque Redondo reservation, where poor conditions and contaminated water led to additional deaths. The event ended in 1868 when the Navajo were allowed to return home, though many families, including Nez’s, settled in areas adjacent to the reservation. In Code Talker, this historical trauma serves as a crucial element of Navajo collective memory and cultural identity, demonstrating both the history of oppression and the resilience of the Navajo people.

The Navajo Nation is a vast sovereign territory that spans portions of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and borders Colorado. This semi-autonomous region serves as the primary homeland for the Navajo people and operates under its own governmental structure while maintaining a complex relationship with the United States federal government. During Chester Nez’s childhood, the Navajo Nation (then commonly called the Navajo Reservation) represented a distinct cultural and political space for the Navajo people, though life within its boundaries remained challenging due to limited resources and economic opportunities. The Nation continues to exist today as the largest Native American reservation in the United States, encompassing over 27,000 square miles of land.

“The Right Way” is a fundamental Navajo philosophical concept that emphasizes living in harmony and maintaining balance in all aspects of life. In Code Talker, Nez describes this principle as requiring balance not only between individuals but also between each person and their environment. The concept created significant internal conflict for Nez during his military service, as he struggled to reconcile these traditional teachings about harmony with the inherent destruction of warfare. Throughout his memoir, Nez returns to this philosophical framework as both a source of internal tension and, paradoxically, as a source of strength that helps him maintain his cultural identity while serving as a Marine.

The Shackle system was a mechanical encryption method used by the U.S. military before the implementation of the Navajo code. Messages had to be encoded into meaningless strings of numbers and letters using a machine, transmitted by voice, then decoded using a cipher at the receiving end. This cumbersome process could take up to four hours to transmit a single message, making it impractical for rapid battlefield communication. The inefficiency of the Shackle system provided a stark contrast to the speed and accuracy of the Navajo code, which could transmit the same information in less than three minutes. Lieutenant Hunt’s direct comparison between Shackle and the Navajo code helped demonstrate the revolutionary nature of the code talkers’ contribution to military communications.