Code Talkers Of World War I And World War II

Choctaw soldiers in training in World War I for coded radio and telephone transmissions.

When discussing World War I and World War II, thoughts rarely go to the Native American population aka indigenous people, especially as innovators. Code Talkers were the innovators in both wars. Despite America’s drive to assimilate the indigenous people by destroying their language and culture, their native tongue became a key tool in outsmarting the enemy beginning in WWI.

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World War IWorld War I

The use of cryptology to send coded messages was the technology of the day. Slow and cumbersome, it often delayed messages and impacted reaction time. Utilizing the mostly unknown and complicated language of the indigenous people was first introduced by the U. S. Military when America joined WWI in 1917. Though other Indian nations were among those volunteering, nineteen Choctaw soldiers formed a communication team known as Choctaw Telephone Squad aka Choctaw Code Talkers. Stationed on the front lines and at command posts, their lives were in constant danger of detection and capture. Their effectiveness during WWI caused other indigenous languages to be examined for future use.

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World War IIWorld War II

When America entered the war with Japan following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana responded with remarkable patriotism. It recorded the highest percentage of volunteers, with more than half of the eligible men enlisting, demonstrating a profound desire to serve their country. With success using indigenous languages for sending coded messages during WWI, a decision was made to focus on the historical language of the Navajo people. Complex, it was neither spoken or understood by those outside of the reservation and had a distinct link to nature. Designing the unique code meant adding military terms to develop corresponding terms. In the end the Navajo military code had 211 terms. Code training took 13 weeks and military procedure training an additional.

Code Talker on Tarawa in November 1943.

There were originally 29 code talkers. Deployed in every major U.S. Marine operation in the Pacific Theatre, the code talkers worked in teams of two. After each transmission moving to a new location avoiding detection and capture. By the war’s end there were over 400 code talkers. Theirs was a vital role in securing Allied victories across the Pacific and European theaters. Their ingenuity made it possible for the American military to maintain secrecy in their radio and telephone communications, even on the front line while increasing speed and efficiency with a code that was never broken.

Some units were specialized. The Sioux Code Talkers of the 302nd Reconnaissance Troop was unique in that it was sent where the need was, rather than being assigned to a particular calvary regiment. Sent behind enemy lines, the Lakota Code Talkers were able to outsmart the enemy, with their unique Lakota communication language even if their messages were intercepted. They served in New Guinea, the Admiralties and the Philippines under General Innes Palmer Swift and General Douglas Mac Arthur.

Classified informationClassified information

Secrecy was paramount during the war effort. So much so that these men could not share with their loved ones what their role was. There were no special insignias on their uniforms nor recognition for their efforts. It wasn’t until the records were declassified in 1968 that the world began to learn of the heroism and significant contributions of these men.

Impact on modern-day military communicationsImpact on modern-day military communications

United States Mint Code Talkers Recognition Congressional Medals Program

• World War II saw a rapid development in radio technology and radar.
• The secureness of code talkers use of oral languages, both unwritten and unknown to outsiders, inspired the military to explore non-traditional encryption methods, including linguistic and cultural codes, especially in early Cold War intelligence.
• Navajo code talkers could encode and decode messages in seconds, far faster than mechanical encryption devices of the time laying the groundwork for today’s rapid response encrypted messaging systems used in combat zones.
• Code talkers demonstrated how cultural knowledge could be weaponized for strategic advantage which today translates into linguistic and cultural experts to navigate other culture and environments during wartime.

Recognition of Code TalkersRecognition of Code Talkers

Navajo code talker veteran Thomas Begay with a framed picture commemorating National Navajo Code Talkers Day.

• In 1989, the French government awarded the Comanche Code Talkers the Chevalier of the National Order of Merit, one of France’s highest honors.
• In 2001, the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers received the Congressional Gold Medal, and all other Navajo Code Talkers received the Congressional Silver Medal.
• In 2008, the Code Talkers Recognition Act aka (Public Law 110-420) authorized distinctive Congressional Gold Medals for each tribe that had Code Talkers in WWI or WWII, with silver duplicates for individual veterans or their families.

These medals often feature tribal symbols, language, and imagery honoring their service. These were commemorative awards, not wartime insignia. Code talkers wore no specific insignia because it could have made them targets of the enemy. Though all of them made tremendous contributions to the success of America in the war, some names stand out for various reasons:

• Peter MacDonald Sr. - Served in the Pacific campaigns and later became Navajo Nation President.
• Samuel Sandoval – Served in five Pacific campaigns, including Iwo Jima.
• Chester Nez – One of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers who developed the first codebook in 1942.
• John Kinsel Sr. – Participated in multiple island assaults and later became an advocate for veterans.

Despite how America has treated its indigenous people, the discrimination faced on the home front and in the military, these men and women who fought in both WWI and WWII made a significant contribution to America’s history and success.

See alsoSee also

• The American West
• US WWII draft records

Explore more about the Code Talkers of World War I and IIExplore more about the Code Talkers of World War I and II

• USA - Draft, Enlistment & Service record collection at MyHeritage
• Medals and Praise. National Museum of the American Indian. Smithsonian Institution.
• Website of Peter McDonald - Navajo Code Talker and former Chairman of the Navajo Nation
• Thomas, Rachel L. Cryptology. Secrets of Navajo Code Talkers. inneapolis, Minn.: Lerner Publications, 2022
• Dennis, Elizabeth. Secrets of American History. World War I. Fearless Flyers, Dazzle Painters and Code Talkers. (New York: Simon *Spotlight, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 2018).
• Page, Andrea M. Sioux Code Talkers of World War II. (Gretna, La: Pelican Publishing Company, 2017).
• Buckley, James, Jr. Who Were the Navajo Code Talkers? (New York: Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021).
• Avery, Susan and Skinner, Linda. Extraordinary American Indians. (Chicago. Children’s Press, Inc., 1992).
• Native Americans in World War II by Thomas D. Morgan [Excerpted from Army History: The Professional Bulletin of Army History, No. 35 (Fall 1995), pp. 22-27].

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