[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8801-8802]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING SAMUEL SMITH, SR.

 Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, on April 14, 2014, our 
Nation lost a great hero, Mr. Samuel ``Jesse'' Smith, Sr. Mr. Smith was 
one of the few remaining Navajo Code Talkers, who defended our country 
with such ingenuity and valor during World War II.
  As the number of these legendary warriors decreases year by year, our 
respect and gratitude for their remarkable service only increases with 
time. My State of New Mexico is proud to be the home of many of these 
extraordinary men, and we mourn their passing.
  Samuel Smith was a student at the Albuquerque Indian School on 
December 7, 1941, when news arrived of the Japanese bombing of Pearl 
Harbor. He and two of his fellow students knew, very quickly, what they 
must do. They resolved, without hesitation, and despite their youth, to 
defend their country. All three joined the U.S. Marine

[[Page 8802]]

Corps, determined to go wherever they were needed. Samuel Smith dreamed 
of being a pilot, but fate would have other plans. He would never fly a 
plane, but he would serve with particular distinction as a Navajo Code 
Talker.
  Mr. Smith possessed the determination, intelligence, and language 
proficiency that was essential to the Code Talkers. He was assigned to 
the 4th Marine Division and was responsible for transmitting messages 
for Gen. Clifton Cates, the commander of the Marine landings in Saipan 
and Tinian.
  In the course of his military service, Samuel Smith fought at the 
battle of Roi-Namur, the battles of Saipan and Tinian to retake the 
Marianas Islands, and the battle of Iwo Jima. He and his fellow Code 
Talkers turned their language into an unbreakable code. They used the 
language of the Navajo people as a weapon to defend our freedoms. In 
battle after battle, in ferocious combat, that code helped secure 
Allied victory. Their courage and patriotism is all the more remarkable 
in that they fought so bravely for freedom in a world that did not 
always accord freedom to them.
  It would be many years after World War II before the story of the 
Navajo Code Talkers, and the pivotal role they played, could be told. 
The true purpose of their service was not revealed until over 20 years 
later. In 2001, Congress honored Samuel Smith and his fellow Code 
Talkers with Congressional Gold Medals. This recognition and honor was 
richly deserved. The simple words on their medals told the heroic 
story: ``The Navajo language was used to defeat the enemy.''
  After the war, Mr. Smith returned home. He married Rena Smith, and 
together they started a family. They moved to the Pueblo of Acoma, 
where they raised ten children. Later, at Fort Defiance Navajo Nation, 
Mr. Smith served as a law enforcement officer and was appointed chief 
ranger of the Navajo Nation Rangers. He also served as director of 
Transportation and Water Resources for the Navajo Nation.
  Samuel Smith lived a long and eventful life, until the age of 89. He 
leaves behind more than 150 direct descendants. His life is a testament 
of service to others, in war and in peacetime. For his family, his 
community, and his Nation, he set an example of courage and commitment. 
Those who knew him will long recall his steady presence. As his son 
Michael said:

       We were very fortunate to have one of the wisest and 
     gentlest men in our lives. He could warm your heart with his 
     smile, let you know you had to straighten up with his gaze, 
     and always had something clever to say He is our hero. He is 
     our dad.

  I extend my sincere sympathy to Mr. Smith's family. He will be deeply 
missed, and he will be forever remembered by a grateful nation.

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