American heroes
Navajo Code Talkers inducted into Albuquerque Wall of Fame
They were punished for speaking their native Navajo tongue in school.
But when their country needed them during World War II, they responded by using their complex language to develop an unbreakable code that helped the United States defeat Japan.
On Friday, surrounded by friends, family and a drum circle performing “My friend, my comrade, we remember you,” city officials inducted Navajo Code Talkers into Albuquerque’s Wall of Fame during a ceremony at the Alvarado Transportation Center in Downtown.
It marked the sixth induction ceremony since the Wall of Fame was created in 2013.
In attendance for the ceremony was Joe Vandever Sr., 95, of Haystack, one of seven living Code Talkers who faced heavy fighting in the Pacific war.
His granddaughter, Patulia Vandever, spoke for him and her family during the ceremony.
“I’m a proud granddaughter of a wonderful grandpa,” Vandever said. “Myself and my family who are here today are delighted to witness this moment for my grandpa. My grandpa has also served as a traditional medicine man in our tribal community for most of his life. In this way he embodies to me the essence of a warrior, not only serving as a protector of the homeland through his service as a Navajo Code Talker, but also as community support through traditional medicine.”
The first 29 Navajo Marine Corps recruits formed the code at Camp Elliott, Calif., in 1942. The recruits began developing the code by taking words from their language and applying to them to implements of war, such as the names of different birds were used to stand for different kinds of planes.
For example, the Navajo word for buzzard — pronounced as “Jay-show” — meant bomber plane.
The initial code consisted of 211 vocabulary terms, which expanded to 411 over the course of the war, according to the Central Intelligence Agency.
At a time when machines took 30 minutes to encode, transmit and decode three lines in English, Code Talkers could do it in 20 seconds.
Since the operation was declassified in 1968, said Mayor Tim Keller, the Navajo Code Talkers have brought positive, worldwide attention to New Mexico and the Southwest.
“These achievements have flown under the radar for too long,” Keller said, facing Vandever. “We’re trying to tell your story as much as we can, because it’s such an important part of our history.”
The Navajo Code Talkers were praised for their speed and accuracy in relaying tactics, troop movements and orders under great risk in key battles such as Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Saipan and Okinawa. At Iwo Jima, six Code Talkers worked around the clock sending and receiving more than 800 messages without error.
About 200 more Navajos were trained in the program, which came to a conclusion early in the Vietnam War.
“ABQ Ride created this Wall of Fame not only to honor people who’ve impacted our community in a positive way, but also to honor those who have done it on a grand scale. The Navajo Code Talkers more than fit this bill,” said Bernie Toon, director of ABQ Ride. “Their work and grace under fire make them a logical choice for a permanent place on our Wall of Fame.”
City Council President Ken Sanchez told ceremony attendees that city leaders and stakeholders are looking to build a permanent Code Talker museum in Old Town to “remember those individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice for us as Americans.”
Sanchez also praised Vandever for his service, calling him one of America’s heroes.
President Ronald Reagan gave the Code Talkers a Certificate of Recognition and declared Aug. 14 “Navajo Code Talkers Day” in 1982.
President Bill Clinton in 2000 signed a law that awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the original 29 Code Talkers.