FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — As members of an elite group of Navajo Marines approach their 90s, they know there’s little time left to tell the story about how they used their native language to confound the Japanese during World War II.
But their vision for a venue to tell those stories, including the years in which they kept their role a secret, is closer to reality.
Chevron Mining Inc. recently donated 208 acres of land to the Navajo Code Talkers Association for a museum and veterans center.
Keith Little and his fellow Marines want to preserve the Code Talkers legacy that is better known to Navajos but not as well by the rest of the country. With the recent deaths of four Code Talkers within five weeks, including one of the original 29 who helped develop the unbreakable code, there’s a greater sense of urgency.
“We want to tell the story, demonstrate it, show it off,” said the 85-year-old Little, who’s from Crystal, N.M., and is president of the Navajo Code Talkers Association.
Chevron Mining president Fred Nelson signed over the land to the Code Talkers during a ceremony near the tribal capital of Window Rock on Friday. About 95 percent of the workers at Chevron’s McKinley Mine are Navajo, and Nelson said donating the land off the highway made sense.
“These are some of America’s heroes,” he said.
Several hundred Navajos served as Code Talkers during the war, using their language to create an unbreakable code to transmit military messages on enemy tactics, Japanese troop movements and other battlefield information.
