The Code Talkers used native languages to send military messages before World War II. Choctaw, for example, was successfully used during World War I. But the Marine Corps needed an “unbreakable” code for its island-hopping campaign in the Pacific. Navajo, which was unwritten and known by few outside the tribe, seemed to fit the Corps’ requirements. Twenty-nine Navajos were recruited to develop the code in 1942. They took their language and developed a “Type One Code” that assigned a Navajo word

Today is Navajo Code Talkers Day. They played an important role in World War II by developing an unbreakable code using the Navajo language which helped secure communication during the battles on the Pacific. We had the pleasure to sit down with WWII Navajo Code Talker Thomas Begay who explained how the Code Talkers were trained. | American Veterans Center