Does Navajo Code Talkers to be in NYC Veterans parade (AP)?”
NEW YORK – The famed Navajo Code Talkers, the elite Marine unit whose unbreakable code stymied the Japanese in World War II, fear their legacy will die with them. Only about 50 of the 400 Code Talkers are believed to be still alive, most living in the Navajo Nation reservation that spans Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Many are frail or ill, with little time left to tell the world about their wartime contribution. But on Wednesday, 13 of the Code Talkers are coming to New York City to participate for the first time in the nation’s largest Veterans Day parade. The young Navajo Marines, using secret Navajo language-encrypted military terms, helped the U.S. prevail at Iwo Jima and other World War II Pacific battles, serving in every Marine assault in the South Pacific between 1942-1945. Military commanders said the code, transmitted verbally by radio, helped save countless American lives and bring a speedier end to the war in the Pacific theater. They were sworn to secrecy about their code,
The Navajo Code Talkers will be appearing in the New York City Veterans Parade on Wednesday, November 11th. They were a group in World War II whose unbreakable code baffled the Japanese and saved countless American lives, as the Japanese could not possibly determine the troops’ actions over the radio when the code based in the Navajo Indian language was used. It is thought that only about 50 of the 400 Code Talkers are still alive, making their story even more important to be told, since they were clearly integral to the American success in World War II.
