[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 106 (Thursday, July 26, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8274-S8276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             NAVAJO CODE TALKERS' CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL

  Mr. BYRD. Madam President, for those who toil in the clandestine 
world of national security, where the dictates of secrecy cloak heroes 
actions in vaults full of files marked with code words and warnings, 
there are precious few opportunities to stand before bright lights and 
listen to applause. Today, a group of men were honored who kept their 
secret from 1942 until 1968, when their talents and contributions in 
winning the war in the Pacific were finally declassified. Today was 
their turn in the sun, as the President awarded the original 29 Navajo 
Code Talkers the Congressional Gold Medal.
  Now the world knows how these men gave the U.S. military a decisive 
edge in communications during the war in the Pacific theater and 
elsewhere. Their presence at Iwo Jima, at Guadalcanal, and throughout 
the Pacific provided U.S. military units with secure communications and 
the element of surprise that allowed U.S. forces to overwhelm dug-in 
Japanese units and win some of the bloodiest battles in World War II. 
The Navajo Code Talkers' unique contribution to the nation's security 
can be counted in those victories and in the number of servicemen who 
survived the war and returned home to their families.
  The story behind the development of the Navajo Code Talkers is 
fascinating. Every American knows the history behind December 7, 1941, 
the ``day that will live in infamy,'' as Japanese forces launched a 
surprise attack on U.S. military bases in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Almost 
simultaneously, having assured themselves that the U.S. could not react 
militarily, the Japanese attacked and overwhelmed other islands 
throughout southeast Asia and the Pacific. U.S. losses were staggering, 
and reaction was immediate--the U.S. declared war against Japan and the 
other Axis powers within hours.
  Declaring war and waging war, however, are two very different 
animals. The Pacific theater of war presented U.S. military forces with 
unique challenges. Distances were large, and the Japanese defenders 
were able to ``dig in,'' creating bastions from which small numbers of 
Japanese troops could hold off invading forces and inflict terrible 
losses upon the military men of the United States. Synchronizing air, 
land, and seaborne forces in coordinated attacks proved to be a major 
challenge. And the Japanese held an early intelligence advantage.
  An elite group of English-speaking Japanese soldiers would intercept 
U.S. radio communications and then sabotage the message or issue false 
commands that led American forces into ambushes. The U.S. responded by 
creating ever more complex military codes, but his effort had its own 
problems. At Guadalcanal, military leaders faced a two-and-a-half hour 
delay in sending and decoding a single message. Something needed to be 
done.
  That something was first suggested by Philip Johnston, a World War I 
veteran who was familiar with the use of Choctaw Indians as Code 
Talkers during that war. Johnston, the son of a missionary who was 
raised on a Navajo Indian reservation and who spoke Navajo fluently, 
believed that the Navajo language was the ideal candidate for service 
as a military code. Navajo is an unwritten language of great linguistic 
complexity. It would be doubtful indeed to suppose that the Japanese 
Army would possess any fluent Navajo speakers. Mr. Johnston contacted 
the U.S. Marine Corps with his proposal in early 1942, and after a 
demonstration of his concept, a group of twenty-nine Navajo speakers 
was recruited to become Marine Corps radio operators.
  Those first twenty-nine men, and the others that followed them and 
who will be receiving a Congressional Silver Medal in a ceremony next 
month, developed a code so successful that it became one of the war's 
most closely held secrets. The first twenty-nine recruits developed the 
original code vocabulary of some 200 terms. Then, in a novel way of 
addressing other words outside that initial vocabulary, the group 
developed an ingenious method of spelling out any other word using any 
Navajo words that would, when translated into English, begin with the 
initial letter that was desired. Thus, if a Code Talker wanted to spell 
``day,'' for instance, they could use the Navajo word for ``dog'' or 
``dig'' or ``door'' followed by any Navajo words that translated to a 
word beginning with ``a'' and ``y.'' Thus any five radio operators 
could pick a different combination of Navajo words that would, when 
translated, spell ``day.'' ``Dog'' ``ant,'' and ``yellow'' or ``door,'' 
``apple,'' ``yawn'' would both give you the initials ``d,'' ``a,'' and 
``y'' in the correct order. Combined with the unique linguistic and 
tonal qualities of the Navajo language, such flexibility made the 
Navajo Code bewildering to the Japanese yet speedy and flexible to use.
  Military commanders credited the Code Talkers with saving the lives 
of countless American soldiers and with providing a decisive edge in 
such battles as those that took place in Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, 
Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Major Howard Connor, the 5th Marine Division 
signal officer at Iwo Jima, had six Navajo Code Talkers working nonstop 
during the first 48 hours of the battle for Iwo Jima. Those six men 
sent and received more than 800 error-free messages during that period. 
Major Connor stated that ``Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines 
would never have taken Iwo Jima.'' The raising of the American flag at 
Iwo Jima was captured on film--I can see it now--captured on film as 
one of the war's most compelling images, one that was translated into 
bronze at the Marine Corps memorial here in Washington, here in the 
city.
  Today the Department of Defense has an Undersecretary of Defense for 
what is termed ``C4ISR'' which stands for Command, Control, 
Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and 
Reconnaissance. Billions of dollars are spent in an effort to keep 
swift-moving combined military forces coordinated in an attack and 
aware of the dangers around them. In World War II, such things were 
more rudimentary. Communications were largely confined to open radio 
waves, making U.S. forces vulnerable to exactly the kind of intercept 
and sabotage practiced by Japanese forces. The Navajo Code Talkers, 
like World War I's Choctaw Code Talkers, represented an innovative and 
hugely successful answer to a problem that plagues military forces to 
this day. It is not surprising that the Department of Defense wanted to 
keep the Navajo Code Talkers a closely guarded military secret until 
1968. What is laudable is that the Code Talkers kept their secret so 
well, despite every temptation to brag and every disappointment in 
having their priceless contribution remain hidden behind a Top Secret 
stamp.
  In receiving the Congressional Gold Medal, the Navajo Code Talkers 
join a very short list of American heroes and luminaries that began 
with General George Washington on March 25, 1776. Their service merits 
this, the long-overdue thanks of a grateful nation and the award of the 
Congressional Gold Medal. To each Navajo Code Talkers, I offer the 
sincere thanks and deep appreciation of the United States Senate. My 
thanks also go to Senator Jeff Bingaman for sponsoring the legislation 
in the Senate authorizing the

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award of the Congressional Gold Medal to this gathering of heroes, the 
Navajo Code Talkers. It should never be too late to recognize and 
reward the heroism of those who risk much to preserve the freedom and 
liberty that we all enjoy. It is all too common to heap the laurels on 
the general, admirals, and other leaders, and to overlook the 
invaluable contribution made by each soldier, sailor, airman, and, in 
this case, each radio operator who put just as much on the line as did 
those with more braid and brass on their collars. The Navajo Code 
Talkers were an essential element in each victory, as much as the man 
at the top who gave the command to attack.
  I close on that thought with the words of John Jerome Rooney, who 
wrote the following lines in his poem, ``The Men Behind the Guns.'' I 
give you his first and last stanzas.

     A cheer and salute for the Admiral, and here's to the Captain 
           bold,
     And never forget the Commodore's debt when the deeds of might 
           are told!
     They stand to the deck through the battle's wreck when the 
           great shells roar and screech--
     And never they fear when the foe is near to practice what 
           they preach:
     But off with your hat and three times three for Columbia's 
           true-blue sons,
     The men below who batter the foe--the men behind the guns!

     Oh, well they know how the cyclones blow that they loose from 
           their cloud of death,
     And they know is heard the thunder-word their fierce ten-
           incher saith!
     The steel decks rock with the lightning shock, and shake with 
           the great recoil,
     And the sea grows red with the blood of the dead and reaches 
           for his spoil--
     But not till the foe has gone below or turns his prow and 
           runs,
     Shall the voice of peace bring sweet release to the men 
           behind the guns!

  Today, Mr. President, I tip my hat and offer three times three to the 
Navajo Code Talkers.
  Mr. CAMPBELL. Madam President earlier today I was honored to join 
President Bush, four of the five surviving Navajo Code Talkers, their 
families, and the families of all the Code Talkers in a ceremony in 
which the President awarded the Code Talkers the Congressional Gold 
Medal.
  The ceremony also included other members of Congress, Indian tribal 
leaders, and dignitaries from around the Nation.
  For far too many Americans, bred on cynicism and hopelessness, these 
men remind us what real American heroes are all about.
  It is unfortunate that we could not have recognized these men and 
their contributions sooner than this.
  Think of this--just 77 years before World War II, the grandfathers of 
these heroes were forced at gunpoint with 9,000 other Navajos from 
their homeland and marched 300 miles through the burning desert. For 
four long years the Navajo people were interned at the Bosque Redondo.
  For these men and their comrades to rise above that injustice in 
American history and put their lives on the line speaks of their 
character and their patriotism.
  Just as the Japanese were never able to break the Navajo Code, it is 
also a mystery why it took so long for our Nation to recognize the 
critical role the Code Talkers played in achieving victory in the 
Pacific.
  The answer may lie in the secrecy of their mission.
  The Navajo Code Talkers took part in every major assault the U.S. 
Marines conducted in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945. It was their duty 
to transmit messages in their native language, Dine Bizaad, a code the 
Japanese were never able to decipher.
  Mr. Philip Johnston, the son of a missionary to the Navajos and one 
of the few non-Navajos who spoke the Navajo language fluently, was the 
individual responsible for recognizing the potential of the Navajo 
people and language and the contributions they could make to World War 
II.
  A World War I veteran who knew the value of secure communications, 
Johnston was reared on the Navajo reservation, and recommended the 
Navajo language be used for this purpose.
  The Navajo language is complex because it has no alphabet or symbols 
and fit the military's need for an ``undecipherable code''.
  Johnston staged tests under simulated combat conditions with the 
commanding general of the Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet.
  The tests demonstrated that Navajos could encode, transmit, and 
decode a three-line message in 20 seconds. After the simulation the 
Navajo were recommended to the Commandant of the Marine Corps to serve 
as Code Talkers. It was recommended that the Marines recruit 200 
Navajos.
  In May 1942, the first 29 of the 200 requested Navajo recruits 
attended boot camp. During this time they developed and memorized a 
dictionary and numerous words for military terms.
  After the successful completion of boot camp, the Code Talkers were 
sent to a Marine unit deployed in the pacific theater. At this duty 
station it became the primary job of the Code Talkers to transmit 
information on tactics, troop movements, orders, and other vital 
battlefield communications over telephones and radios.
  The Navajos were praised for their skill, speed, and accuracy in 
communications throughout the war.
  At Iwo Jima, Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division Signal officer, 
declared, ``Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have 
taken Iwo Jima.'' Connor had six Navajo Code Talkers who worked around 
the clock during the first two days of the battle sending and receiving 
over 800 messages--all without error.
  The Japanese, who were skilled code breakers, were confused by the 
Navajo language. The Japanese chief of intelligence, Lieutenant General 
Seizo Arisue said that while they were at times able to decipher the 
codes used by the other armed forces, they never were able to crack the 
code used by the Marines and Navajos.
  American Indians and their commitment to this Nation can be described 
in one quote from David E. Patterson, of the 4th Marine Division, 
``When I was inducted into the service, one of the commitments I made 
was that I was willing to die for my country--the U.S., the Navajo 
Nation, and my family. My [native] language was my weapon.''
  I would like to thank the Navajo Code Talkers who served in World War 
II for their dedication and bravery to our Nation.
  They believed in what they fought for and were willing to sacrifice 
their lives to create a communication system that was unbreakable.
  Without these brave men and their knowledge of their language, the 
success of our Nation's military efforts in the Pacific would not have 
been possible.
  I urge all Americans to thank these brave men for their uncommon 
valor and dedication to a cause higher than themselves.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Madam President, I rise to formally pay tribute to the 
Navajo Code Talkers, who today received the Congressional Gold Medal.
  The award of the Congressional Gold Medal, one of our Nation's 
highest honors, is a fitting tribute to the Navajo Code Talkers for 
their relentless efforts, sacrifice and dedication during the decisive 
battles for the Pacific in World War II. I am proud and honored to 
witness our country's long overdue recognition of the Navajo Code 
Talkers' place in history.
  I salute my friend, Senator Bingaman, for leading the effort to bring 
national attention to the crucial role the Navajo Code Talkers played 
in the history of our country, and indeed, the world.
  The Navajo Code Talkers began as an idea by Phillip Johnston, a 
Marine Corps officer living in Los Angeles, CA, whose father was a 
Protestant missionary on the Navajo reservation. He was aware that the 
Marine Corps was deeply troubled over Japan's ability to break American 
codes.
  In late April of 1942, two recruiting officers were sent to the 
Navajo reservation. In May, 29 Navajos were sworn in at Ft. Wingate, 
NM, and taken to Camp Elliott where they became the first all-Navajo 
platoon in Marine Corps history--Platoon 382.
  This was not an easy recruitment. Many Navajos were willing to help, 
but not as many were literate in the English language. The Navajo 
recruits adjusted well to boot camp, considering few had ever been off 
the reservation before. Many had never met ``Anglos'' before.
  They fought across an ocean they had never seen, against an enemy 
they had never met. To ensure their own land would not be in danger, 
they

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joined in the effort with the United States.
  The Navajo Code Talkers made a major contribution to WWII. They 
provided instantaneous technical, detailed communication. None of their 
codes were written; they were only memorized. The Navajo Code Talkers 
came to be known as extremely dependable. They were called upon for 
tasks other than just code talking; they also had duties as Marines.
  The Navajo code was used almost exclusively during the battle of Iwo 
Jima. They were credited for sending and receiving over 800 messages 
with out an error.
  ``Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo 
Jima,'' stated Major Howard M. Conner, signal officer for the Fifth 
Division.
  Eventually there would be over 400 Marine Code Talkers who would play 
a vital part in the United States winning the war against Japan. In 
fact, the Navajo Code Talkers would participate in every assault the 
Marines took part in from late 1942 to 1945.
  During the 3 years the Navajo Code Talkers participated in the war, 
Japanese Intelligence was able to break almost every U.S. Army and Army 
Air Corps code but not once were they able to break the Navajo code.
  The Navajo Code Talkers are becoming more widely known by appearing 
in Veterans Day events, special honoring ceremonies, and there was even 
a Navajo G.I. Joe code talker toy developed. And now, a Hollywood film 
is being developed.
  So I add my voice to the much-deserved recognition and appreciation 
going out today to the Navajo Code Talkers for their relentless 
efforts, sacrifice and dedication in the successful outcomes in the 
battle for the Pacific in World War II.

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