[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19167]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          NAVAJO CODE TALKERS

  (Mr. LAMBORN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, on this, the 70th anniversary of the attack 
on Pearl Harbor, I want to recognize a group of unique Americans who 
made an invaluable contribution to winning the war in the Pacific--
Native American Code Talkers.
  John Werito of southwest Colorado was assigned to the 4th Marine 
Division in Maui, Hawaii. He first saw action when his division landed 
on Roi Namur, part of the Marshall Islands, then a Japanese stronghold.
  From there, the 4th Division took Saipan where Werito was wounded. 
After recovering from his injuries, he took part in the invasion of Iwo 
Jima, where he was wounded a second time. He recovered from his 
injuries on a hospital ship at sea after refusing to be sent home to 
the U.S. because he wanted to be part of the invasion of Japan, should 
that be necessary.
  Back home, Werito settled in Denver where he served as a letter 
carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. He passed away in 1983 and is 
buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Colorado.
  Werito was posthumously awarded the Silver Congressional Medal of 
Honor in 2002. His widow, Rose, and children, Nellie and Michael, 
attended the ceremony in Window Rock, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation.
  I thank Mr. Werito for his courage in fighting a brutal enemy in the 
Pacific.
  The Code Talkers of all tribes are a special class of brave warriors 
who deserve our continued recognition.

                          ____________________