About the Navajo Code Talkers

The code the enemy never broke was a language the government had tried to erase. In World War II, more than four hundred Navajo Marines, beginning with twenty-nine who devised the system, turned the Diné language into an unbreakable battlefield code that carried orders through Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the rest of the Pacific. A signal officer at Iwo Jima said the Marines could not have taken the island without them. Many came home to a country that kept their work secret until 1968 and honored them only decades later, at Window Rock and in Washington.

What the plaque says

About the Navajo Code Talkers. During World War II the Japanese possessed the ability to break almost any American military code. Over 400 Navajos, with 29 being the original Navajo Code Talkers, stepped forward and developed the most significant and successful military code of the time using their native language. So successful was this innovative code that military commanders credited it with saving the lives of countless American soldiers and with the successful engagements of the U.S. in the battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and paved the way to victory for Allied forces in the Pacific Theater. "Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima." These were the words of Major Howard Connor, USMC 5th Marine Division Signal Officer. Far from their homes, these brave young men served our nation with honor. The tale of their exploits remained a closely guarded secret for decades. It was not until 1968 when the Navajo Code was declassified. The Navajo Code Talker Memorial was designed and executed by famed Navajo/Ute sculptor Oreland Joe, made possible through the Navajo Code Talkers Memorial Foundation, Inc.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Window Rock — 1.2 mi
  Tségháhoodzání — the sacred arch, and the capital of the Diné

More markers nearby

• Navajo Warrior Memorial — steps away