[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 123 (Monday, July 23, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5127-S5128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING DAVID EARL PATTERSON, SR.

  Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, I wish to honor David Earl Patterson, Sr., 
a man who gave selflessly to his family, the Navajo Nation, and his 
country.
  Mr. Patterson was born November 11, 1922. He was Tachil'nii--Red 
Running Into the Water People Clan, born for Kinlichii'nii--the Red 
House People Clan. He attended Catholic school in Shiprock NM, and 
remained a devout Catholic his entire life.
  Mr. Patterson entered the U.S. Marine Corps in 1943 and was one of 
about 400 Navajo code talkers trained on radio communications. He 
served in the Marshall Islands, the islets of Roi and Namur, the 
Kwajalein Atoll, Saipan, and Iwo Jima. Navajo code talkers played a 
critical role in the Battle of Iwo Jima. During the first 2 days of the 
battle, the marines had six Navajo code talkers who worked around the 
clock during the first 2 days of the battle. They sent and received 
over 800 messages, all without error. Their marine commander said 
later, ``Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have 
taken Iwo Jima.'' Mr. Patterson received an honorable discharge in 
1945.
  Mr. Patterson was humble about his wartime contribution to our Nation 
and did not talk much about his World War II experience. The United 
States honored him and his fellow Navajo code talkers with the 
Congressional Silver Medal of Honor in 2001.
  After the war, Mr. Patterson married Marion Patterson, and they 
raised seven children. He was a beloved husband, father, and 
grandfather.
  He attended college in Oklahoma and New Mexico and became a social 
worker for the Navajo Nation until his retirement in 1987, working 
decades for the welfare of his people. Even after retirement, he served 
until 2012 as a foster parent in the Shiprock schools until 2012.
  Mr. Patterson was a passionate bowler, a baseball aficionado, and a 
bingo player. Bowling at every New Mexico bowling center was on his 
bucket list, and he found time to coach Little League Baseball and 
Softball in Shiprock.
  Mr. Patterson lived a full and generous life until his passing on 
October 8, 2017 at age 94. He was one of the last surviving Navajo code 
talkers.
  I am honored to pay tribute to Mr. Patterson, a family man and a hero 
who never stopped giving to his community and people.

[[Page S5128]]

  

                          ____________________