Secret code talker dies - 28th October 2024

A Navajo Code Talker from World War II has died at 107 years old. John Kinsel Sr was born in Arizona and joined the US Marines in 1942. He and 400 other Navajo men used a secret code which gave the US a military advantage.

The Navajo language is spoken in the Southwest of North America. It’s very complicated, and it’s rarely written. It’s very hard for other people to learn.

In 1942, Philip Johnston thought of using Navajo as a code. Johnston had lived with Navajo people as a child and spoke the language. He told the US Navy about his idea. It would stop the enemy from understanding their messages.

29 Navajo men joined the military and created the first Navajo code. They used Navajo words for some military words. Submarines were ‘iron fish’ and ‘hummingbird’ was a fighter plane. They also made a code of 26 Navajo words to spell other English words.

The US Marines trained 400 Navajo Code Talkers. These Navajo men sent and translated messages using the code. They could decode messages in 20 seconds, but the Japanese military never understood the code.

Until 1968, the Navajo Code Talkers were top secret. Since 1982, 14th August has been Navajo Code Talkers Day. There are now only two Navajo Code Talkers.