He fought with a weapon the enemy could never break — his own language.
In 1942, a young Navajo man from Chi Chil Tah, New Mexico, named Chester Nez, joined the U.S. Marines. Along with 28 others, he was tasked with a secret mission: create a code no one could crack.
What they built became legendary. The Navajo Code Talkers could send vital battlefield messages in seconds — and not once did the Axis forces break it.
Chester first used the code during the bloody landing at Guadalcanal, and later in fierce campaigns across the Pacific. Yet, for decades, the world never knew. The mission was classified until 1968, hidden even from their families.
After the war, Chester lived humbly — serving again in Korea, then later as a painter at a VA hospital. Only in 2001 did he finally receive the Congressional Gold Medal for his service.
When Chester Nez passed away in 2014, he was the last of the original 29 Code Talkers — a reminder of how easily true heroes can be forgotten.
In Album: C L Hammond's Timeline Photos
Dimension:
512 x 640
File Size:
71.37 Kb
Like (2)
Loading...
Love (2)
Loading...
