Last Navajo Code Talker Passes Away

[Guest]

Chester Nez, the last of the original 29 Navajo code talkers, died Wednesday morning.

Navajo President Ben Shelly ordered flags be flown at half staff in Window Rock, the Navajo reservation capital. Nez was the last living member of the U.S. Marines who created the first unbreakable code that baffled the Japanese during World War II.

Nez, 93, died of kidney failure, according to family members. He lived in Albuquerque, N.M., with his son Michael Nez.

"He was a very important man in my life and I will always speak his name," Michael Nez said in a telephone interview. "I'm going to miss him very much."

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Saw that earlier, elsewhere. Condolences and respects. They ALL deserve it.

 

[zenbiker]

They deserve it more than most. They were human Enigma Machines with guns pointed at them from both sides, yet they served with distinction a country they arguably could have told to "forget it". God Bless them all; they are few, if any, to whom we owe a greater debt.


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[VTSEAL]

Sorry to hear of Chester's passing. He and his fellow Code Talkers were true heros, and served with distinction.

I highly recommend his book: Code Talkers: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII
Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII: Chester Nez, Judith Schiess Avila: 9780425247853: Amazon.com: Books

It is also excellent as an audiobook, what an amazing story of how that all came to be. The pacing of the book is a little slow, but the scope of what they were able to accomplish is amazing. The audiobook also has accompanying recording of interviews with Chester, and there are a couple of video interviews on the web.

The details of the whole program was classified for many years, and unfortunately many of these brave Navajo Marines did not receive the recognition they deserved until after they had passed away due to the secrecy. By the time that Judith Scheiss Avila was able to research the topic and interview Chester, he was an old man, and many of his colleagues had passed. But the very strong oral traditions of the Navajo culture aided in his ability to recall in amazing detail the story of his early life, how the Code Talker program was established, and his account of their role in the island hopping campaign in the Pacific.

Remember this hero and his colleagues, we are in their debt.

 

[Tall Pine]

They deserve it more than most. They were human Enigma Machines with guns pointed at them from both sides, yet they served with distinction a country they arguably could have told to "forget it". God Bless them all; they are few, if any, to whom we owe a greater debt.


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Well said

 

[EddieNFL]

Been watching various WWII documentaries for the past week or so. Nothing I haven't seen before, but I never get bored. Greatest generation indeed.

 

[Maggot]

They deserve it more than most. They were human Enigma Machines with guns pointed at them from both sides, yet they served with distinction a country they arguably could have told to "forget it". God Bless them all; they are few, if any, to whom we owe a greater debt.


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This^^^^^^

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Just saw that... Sorry to hear we have lost the last of an amazing bunch of warriors.

A few years ago, while riding on Rt. 66, I picked up a copy of Sally McClain's Navajo Weapon... one of the best books about the code talkers. Absolutely worth a read because the history runs far deeper than much of the popular portrayal of the code talkers.

I wonder if his passing will even merit a mention outside of a few communities like this. Heroes just don't seem to rank with kid-saving attack cat videos and car chases.

In memory,

Sirhr

 

[EddieNFL]

Yesterday, I asked a young lady (early 20s) what was historically significant about today. She was puzzled so I said, "D-Day." Not a clue.

 

[pmclaine]

Well lets not forget nor allow our kids to go uneducated in hopes that one day our kids will ber taking the milk money of those kids uneducated by American Idol.

In two weeks my kids (5 and 7) will be getting a full dose of Washington DC followed by a stay at Round Top Campground Gettysburg. They will thank a vet at the WWII/Korean/Vietnam memorials and they dont know it yet but they will be refusing the line ala Joshua Chamberlain on Little Round Top.

 

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

Pretty astonishing that the Indians are so patriotic, considering how badly they've been dumped on. The Makah Indians, whose tribe centers around Neah Bay, Olympic peninsula, Washington, have sent men to serve in every major conflict since WWI. And so far, every single one of them has come home alive.

 

[echotango]

I just finished reading his book a few weeks ago. Highly recommended.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

ET:

Just ordered a copy. With degree finally behind me, I can start reading some stuff for fun again. This will top my new reading list. Thanks for the recommendations everyone!

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[zenbiker]

Sent a copy to my Dad for Father's Day - he is a real history buff.


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