Navajo Code Talkers In World War Ii
Essay, Research Paper
Adam Adkins put the function of the Navajo Code Talkers in World War II when he said & # 8220 ; Intelligence is an violative arm, one which searches out the vulnerable points once more and once more until they to are made weak. The lone defence against intelligence is security and no signifier of security is more effectual or of import than communications security & # 8221 ; ( Adkins 319 ) . The importance of being able to pass on with one another without the enemy cognizing what is being said is really valuable to the war attempt. They allowed us to pass on without the menace of being heard.
The thought of utilizing Native Americans as a manner to pass on without being heard really had its roots in World War I. The 142nd Infantry felt that the Germans had tapped their telephone communications near the terminal of the war. Due to really crude signifier of coding messages and the clip it took to direct a message in codification and so to UN-code the message, this was non a really effectual signifier of Communicating. So one Choctaw Indian named Mose Bellmard, who was functioning in the 142nd offered his native linguistic communication as a manner to pass on. The first clip they used the Language the order was to travel military personnels from one small town to another therefore surprising the Germans and the run was a success ( Adkins 323 ) .
The thought of utilizing the Navajos in this same capacity came from a adult male named Philip Johnston. Johnston was the boy of a Protestant missionary who served on the Navajo Reservations. He foremost moved to the reserve at the age of four, by manner of the waggon in 1896. He was a Civil Engineer in Los Angeles when World War II broke out McCoy 68 ) . He was cognizant of the ground forces & # 8217 ; s usage of the Choctaw Indians in World War I. so he came up with an thought to utilize the Navajo linguistic communication as a signifier of pass oning. He foremost approached the United States Army Air Force but when they showed no involvement, he went to the Marines. He ab initio talked to Major General Clayton B. Bogel. Philip put on a presentation for the General Vogel at a Los Angeles football field. Johnston brought six Navafo Indians with him to show. Different marine leaders gave messages to the Navajos to direct to the other terminal of the football field. Astoundingly, the Navajo Indians interpreted all the messages without mistake ( McCoy 68 ) . Johnston besides argued that Navajo linguistic communication had ne’er been written down and he estimated that merely 30 non-Navajos spoke the Language, none of the people being Nipponese. This was the beginning of the Navajo Code Talkers as we know them. Philip Johnston was rewarded for his thought by being appointed Master Seargent in the U.S. Marines.
General Vogel ab initio wanted to enroll over 200 Navajos to code talk. He was vetoed by the Commandant of the Marines. He was merely allowed to enroll 30. In May of 1942, the first 29 Navajos were sent to Boot Camp. They were treated merely like any other enlisted adult male. Because of Security grounds non even the Seargent placed in charge of boring the Navajos were let in on what these work forces were being used for. Apparently they did really good in Boot Camp. Lt. Colonel George Hall had this to state about their public presentation: & # 8220 ; This group has done exceptionally good at this terminal. They are really manipulable, attentive and loyal. At an early day of the month they developed an exceptionally high Esprit de Corps & # 8221 ; ( Adkins 373 ) . After Boot Camp these work forces were sent to Camp Elliott to get down to larn how to pass on.
They were taught how to work with wirelesss, and telephones that they would utilize in the shrub. They were even taught Mosrse codification. They besides were assigned the job of composing the Navajo Language down on paper. This was portion of the entreaty, of the Navajo Language. It was on paper therefore the Nipponeses could non analyze the linguistic communication. Since the Navajo linguistic communication does non hold the military words in it, the Navajo & # 8217 ; s were forced to do up nam
Es. Here’s a few exapmples of what they came up with: for an observation plane, the word they used was Navajo for bird of Minerva, or for a dive bomber, they used poulet hawk ( Lopez 1 ) . The other thing they did was set up an alphabet so they could spell words they had no association with. A good illustration of this was the Message in 1944 at Tinian. That had now word for Tinian so they had to spell it out. The message read T-I-N-I-A-N ATTACK READY ( McCoy 70 ) . They even went so far as to give letters that would be repeat two or three different names. For illustration, the Letter A would be associated with apple, ax and emmet. So the codification they came up with was really effectual.
The codification was so effectual that the Japanese ne’er figured out even what linguistic communication it was. There was a misconception that the Japanese were really skilled at interrupting codifications. It wasn & # 8217 ; t that they were so skilled, it was that the United States merely did non hold a really effectual codification. It was so effectual that a captured Navajo could non even check it. There was a Navajo who was captured and who survived the Bataan decease March. The cats name was Joe Keiyoomia. He was forced to listen to the codification and was put under menaces of anguish but he couldn & # 8217 ; t even calculate out what they were stating. His exact words were & # 8221 ; but I ne’er could calculate out what you guys who got me into all that problem were stating & # 8221 ; ( McCoy 71 ) . Another illustration of how effectual the Code speakers were was Philip Johnston. he had grown up on the Navajo reserve and came up with the thought. Even he could non calculate out what the Code Talkers were stating ( Adkins 339 ) . The Marines knew how effectual the Navajo codification speaker & # 8217 ; s were every bit good. One Marine was quoted as stating, & # 8220 ; Were it non for the Navajos, the Marines would ne’er hold taken Iwo Jima. & # 8221 ; The success of the Navajos was outstanding but there were a few negatives.
The first of the negatives came during boot cantonment. The Navajos are fundamentally a non-violent people. During boot cantonment they were taught to be more violent than they were accustomed to be. For illustration, one of their drill officers was learning them to package. The Navajos were non familiar with packaging techniques and the Seargent in charge became really perturbed at their advancement. So he began pluging each of the Navajos in the face until one of the work forces could non take it any longer and punched him back ( Adkins 343 ) .
The 2nd job was that the Navajos tended to hold a similar resemblance to the Japanese. In one case, a Navaho got lost and ended acquiring captured by some American soldiers. When the Navaho pleaded that he was an American, the soldiers did non believe him. So they took him at gunpoint back to the American leading. When they got back the American leading go everything straightened out ( Adkins 344 ) . After this, the codification speakers were assigned organic structure bands to forestall these mix ups from go oning once more.
The concluding job was there wasn & # 8217 ; t adequate Navajos to make full all the musca volitanss needed. On the reserve there is non excessively many work forces that could make full all the demands. To be a Navajo Code Talker you had to be fluid in Navajo every bit good as English. This eliminated the bulk of the Navajo Men.
For the most portion though the Navajo Code Talkers were a enormous success. For the people who were forced off land, forced to take the long walk, and for these people to come through the manner they did was awesome. The United States owe these people an atrocious batch. There has been a commemoration set up at the Pentagon where people on a regular basis visit.
Adkins, Adam & # 8220 ; Secret War: The Navajo Code Talkers in World War II & # 8221 ; New Mexico Historical Review pp. 319-345 October 1997.
Lopez, Yvette & # 8220 ; Navajo Code Talkers & # 8221 ; raphael.math.uic.edu/ jeremy/crypt/contrib/lopex2.html pp1-3.
McCoy, Ron & # 8220 ; Navajo Code Talkers of World War II & # 8221 ; American Heritage 67-73 1984.
