Home > World War II > Code Navajo Biography

Approximately 400 young Navajo men were
recruited from their reservation (which
includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and
Utah) to join the U.S. Marine Corps and become
"Code Talkers." The Navajo Code Talkers
developed a code based on the Navajo
language that was never deciphered and
that played an important role in
military communication

Some of World War II's most important and toughest battles took place in the islands of the western Pacific Ocean. Fighting the Japanese for control of the region, the Allies had to contend not only with a strong, determined enemy but also with dense jungle terrain. Secure communications by radio and telephone were crucial to the success of both planning and fighting battles. But the Japanese were good at cracking codes—they seemed to quickly decipher every one the Allies came up with. It wasn't until a World War I veteran...