HomeMy WebLinkAboutCode Talkers Museum Planned
NVMI Code Talkers
museum planned
By FELICIA FONSECA _ representing the original
Associated Press d = 29 code talkers. Director John
Woo's 2002 movie Wind-
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - As talkers, starring Nicolas
members of an elite group of Cage, depicted the code talk
Navajo Marines approach b
ers' role in the brutal battle
their 90s, they know there's _ a for Saipan.
little time left to tell the story The cost for the first phase
about how they used their of the project that will include
native language to confound the museum is expected to be
the Japanese during World between $20 million and
War II. $30 million. Later phases will
Their vision for a venue to xx*~ include a veterans center and
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,
tell those stories, including possibly a medical clinic,
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the years in which they kept commercial property to sus
their role a secret, is closer to t. ` r € tain the museum and a Tan
reality. Chevron Mining Inc. "
guage institute-_
recently donated 208 acres to
the Navajo Code Talkers AP photo
Association for a museum Navajo Code Talker Frank Chee Willetto smiles during a land transfer ceremo-
and veterans center.
Keith Little and his fellow ny Friday near Window Rock, Adz. Chevron Mining Inc, has donated 208 acres
Marines want to preserve the for a museum to honor the World War II Navajo Marines who used their native
Code Talkers legacy that is language to develop a code that baffled the Japanese.
better known to Navajos than
to the rest of the country. And Guadalcanal, Saipan and Iwo cuss it even with their fami-
with the recent passing of Jima. lies.
four Code Talkers within five After the war, the Code In recent years, the role of
weeks, including one of the Talkers were told to keep the Navajo code talkers has
original 29 who helped devel- their work a secret and forget gained more exposure. In
op the unbreakable code, about what they learned. 2001, the Congressional Gold
there's a greater sense of Even after their role in the Medal was presented at a cer-
urgency. war was declassified in 1968, emony by President George
"We want to tell the story, they remained hesitant to dis- W. Bush to several survivors
demonstrate it, show it off,"
said the 85-year-old Little
from Crystal, N.M., who is
president of the association.
Chevron Mining President
Fred Nelson signed over the
land to the Code Talkers dur-
ing a ceremony near the trib-
al capital of Window Rock on
Friday. Some 95 percent of the
workers at Chevron's Mc-
Kinley Mine are Navajo, and
Nelson said donating the land
just off the highway made
sense.
"These are. some of
America's heroes," he said.
Several hundred Navajos
served as Code Talkers dur
ing the war, using their Ian-
guage to create an unbreak-
able code to transmit military
messages qn enemy tactics,
Japanese troop movements
and other battlefield informa-
tion. They took part in every
assault the Marines conduct-
ed in the Pacific from 1942 to
1945, including the battles of