Published: October 27, 2009 04:30 pm      

Larue Barnes: Code talking

Albuquerque, N.M. Splendid fall foliage with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains as a backdrop, handmade sterling silver and turquoise jewelry displayed on blankets on the sidewalks of Old Town, the aroma of delicious food floating on the crisp breeze.

I’d visited before. But this time, there was an unexpected touch of World War II history there.

My husband, E. J., and I were traveling with the Young at Heart group from Field Street Baptist Church.

We noticed a few older Navajo men sitting at a table outside a gallery. They appeared to be wearing American Legion caps and jackets.

I had a hunch they might be a part of history.

They were some of the original Navajo code talkers, including one of the original 29 U. S. Marines who created the code to send and receive secret messages from 1942-45.

The messages were never decoded by the enemy.

I learned that their code was more complex than using the Navajo language.

Secret code words were created by the original 29, and memorized by all talkers.

English messages were sent by code and translated back to English when received.

General Clayton B. Vogel and Commandant Thomas Holcomb headed the project for the Marines.

Inside Albuquerque’s Trader Barb’s Gallery, I met Victoria Jarvison, who spearheaded the coders’ appearance.

She teaches her native language at the University of New Mexico and serves on the board of directors of Old Town Merchant’s Association.

“The Navajo language is very difficult,” she said. “We want it to be learned by each generation. This is the fifth annual event for the code talkers. We are selling books about them to explain their importance in the war and also to raise funds for them. We’re in the process of getting a museum built near the New Mexico-Arizona border.”

She said she hoped to have next year’s event in Dallas in conjunction with another World War II event.

“We lost eight of the code talkers this past year. It is important that their legacy be explained quickly. I’m in hopes that we can get a grant to help with the funding.”

I met Chester Nez as he autographed a book for me.

He wore a gold medal, and I asked about it. I learned he was one of the original 29 selected to create the code.

“Chester was given the gold medal by the United States Congress,” said Coder Jack Jones. “The 29 got the gold medal; the rest of us who transmitted the code received silver medals.

“We were told that without the Navajo code talkers, the war could not have been won.”

He admitted that they experienced racial discrimination by others.

“We all came out as privates or Pfcs, maybe a very few corporals. We were not given promotions, but we considered ourselves professionals.”

Jones was in the 1st Marine Division in the South Pacific. Others attendees represented the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Marine Divisions.

“We volunteered to be code talkers because we were interested in defending our country and loved our country,” Jones said. “We wanted security and freedom for America. Being a code talker made me feel special.”

Jones stood up behind the table and leaned towards me to understand my questions.

“I was wounded by a bomb and have very little hearing. With injuries also to my eyes, ears and teeth I spent more than five months in a U.S. Navy hospital.”

Jones said he had to hire an attorney to help him produce evidence of his injuries so that he could finally receive disability.

In Sally McClain’s “Navajo Weapon: The Navajo Code Talkers,” printed by Rio Nuevo Publishers, the author wrote the Feb. 23, 1945, incoming message to the command ship USS Eldorado in the Navajo code:

“D-ah a-kha: Ashdla a-who cha Ashi-hi Bih-keh-he, plus seven more lines that were translated as:

To: 5th Division Commanding General

From: LT 228 E Company, 3rd Platoon

1st Lieutenant H. G. Schrier’s E Company raised U. S. flag and secured Mount Suribachi at 10:35 A. M.”

She explained that what began as a pilot project with 29 Navajo volunteers in April 1942 grew to a force of more than 550 by the end of the war. Each had to be fluent in Navajo and English. The Navajo code was used in almost all of the South Pacific Marine campaigns.

The Navajo code talkers were the Marine Corps’ best kept secret.

More than 619 terms were added to the code vocabulary begun by the original 29 by Navajos who were later inducted into the Marines.

When the Navajos returned home they were told not to tell what they had done in the war. The secrecy lasted for 24 years.

Now they are eager to help their great-grandchildren carry on their legacy and learn the sacred language of their ancestors.

Each man showed me his photo recorded in some of the books: Chester Nez, Robert Walley Sr., Keith M. Little, Jack Jones, Alfred K. Newman, Bill Toledo and Samuel Tso.

Several tourists shook hands with them and thanked them for helping to win the war.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the narrow-gauge railroad ride from Chama, the Loretta Chapel in Santa Fe with its mysterious stairway, and seeing Spanish royalty in Santa Fe to celebrate the 400th birthday of the capitol city were spectacular.

The church bells rang out in Santa Fe and crowds began to gather.

An older citizen of Santa Fe said the presence of glamorous Princess Letizia of Asturias, and her husband, Felipe, the heir apparent to the Spanish throne did not excite her.

“The princess is just a woman like anyone else. It’s our forefathers who built Santa Fe,” she said.

Her eyes flashed as she said, “They are the ones who should be honored today. Not Spanish royalty.”

I thought about the excitement of it all, shared by friends. I decided that often the unexpected encounters impress me most.

I just can’t forget the code talkers.



Larue Barnes may be reached at laruebarnes@yahoo.com.



For information on the Navajo code talkers, call Victoria Jarvison at 505-242-8822 in Alburquerque.