More than 150 youth members of the Young Marines, a national youth education and service program, from across the country gathered in Window Rock Aug. 14 to honor and learn from the Navajo Code Talkers from WWII.

Members of the Young Marines gathered in Window Rock in August to honor and learn about the Navajo Code Talkers. (Photo courtesy of the Young Marines)

Every year on Aug. 14, the Navajo Nation celebrates an elite group of World War II veterans — the Navajo Code Talkers. These remarkable patriots served their country by transmitting top-secret messages across enemy lines using the Navajo language as code - the only code unbroken by the Japanese in World War II. To date, only five of these veterans remain.

Since 2006, the Young Marines have traveled to Arizona each year to celebrate the Navajo Code Talkers and to meet the few remaining survivors in person.

The Navajo Code Talkers’ story has been top secret for years, but the Young Marines help to keep their legacy alive. Read more in the Navajo-Hopi Observer >

By Navajo-Hopi Observer Staff
September 24, 2019