FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Allen Dale June ~ September 13, 2010

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[Kathy in Alaska]

 

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Allen Dale June

Info from here and here.

           

From July 6, 2006

DRAPER -- Retired Marine Sgt. Allen Dale June, 84, doesn't say much about his experience as a Navajo Code Talker in World War II.

During an appearance Wednesday at the Utah National Guard headquarters, a child asked June if he had ever been in a submarine.

"I saw it," was all June replied, which was followed by chuckles among the estimated 150 audience members, most of whom were wearing camouflage.

Sgt. 1st Class Sam Galbraith, 54, and his son, Sgt. Joe Galbraith, 26, both of whom are Navajo and full-time Utah Guard members, were introduced to June. The elder Galbraith called it an honor and privilege to meet him.

"It's very meaningful to me," Sam Galbraith said.

Retired Army Lt. Col. Daniel Hudson dubbed June a "living legend." But for 23 years after World War II, June and others from the 29 original members of the Navajo Code Talkers were told to keep quiet about their experience, for national securityreasons.

"This was a tremendous stress and strain on them," said Hudson, who gave Guard members a presentation Wednesday on Code Talkers.

By 1968, government officials had lifted the curtain of secrecy to reveal the war contributions of this elite group of American Indian soldiers, which included at least one other tribe. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan named Aug. 14 "National Code Talkers Day."

Charles Chibitty, the sole surviving member of the 17-member Comanche Code Talkers, was given the Knowlton Award in 1999, in recognition of his intelligence work in the Army Signal Corps in Europe during World War II.

President Bush in 2001 presented June and other Navajo Code Talkers with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award given by Congress. But to this day, June chooses to remain mostly silent on his war experiences.

June and his wife, Virginia, once West Valley City residents, now live in Longmont, Colo., north of Denver. Virginia does most of the talking for her husband.

"He was quiet," she said about the 23 years of imposed silence. And he's quiet now, she added, describing life these days as "smooth sailing."

The Junes walk about three to five miles every day. They make appearances when asked. And they were in Utah this week to help dedicate a war monument in West Jordan.

During the war, June was part of a group that helped the United States win the "war of words" with the Japanese. Code Talkers used their native language to communicate messages between U.S. troops.

The Navajo word for tortoise, for example, would have been used to identify the presence of an enemy tank. A single word with different voice inflections could have been used to mean several different things to a Code Talker.

It was a code unbreakable by the Japanese, although they tried.

June served uninjured in the Marines from 1942 to 1945. It was a time when in this country, Navajo Indians were sometimes punished for speaking their native language.

Virginia said her husband joined the Marines because there was nothing to do on the reservation. But he also wanted to serve his country and represent his tribe.

In the military, June and other Navajo Indians faced marked cultural differences and bigotry within their own ranks, Hudson pointed out. Even so, June's ability to speak what his wife says is now a dying language helped Marines stay a step ahead of the enemy on the battlefield in Japan.

Today, June is one of two Navajo Code Talkers still alive. The other, Samuel Tso, lives in Arizona.

"I just think it's great to teach people about what happened," Joe Galbraith said about June's appearance. "It's unfortunate there's not more Code Talkers around."

~ Stephen Speckman

 

On September 10, 2010 Mr. June passed away at the age of 91.  From the AP story:

June, who attained the rank of sergeant, received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2001 along with other members of the original Code Talkers.

With his death, only two of the 29 are still living.

"The Navajo Nation lost a great warrior," Tribal Council Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan said in a statement. "His unique service to his country brought positive attention to the Navajo Nation. He will be missed."

June first tried to sign up for the Marines in his hometown of Kaibeto on the Navajo Nation, but a recruiter told him he was too young. He then traveled to the reservation town of Chinle to enlist — because he figured people there wouldn't recognize him — and he could lie about his age and forge his father's signature, Virginia June said.

Our nation mourns a hero.

From Wikipedia:

A Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress and is, along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Presidential Citizens Medal the highest civilian award in the United States. The decoration is awarded to an individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States. American citizenship is not a requirement.

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[Old Sarge]

First?

[HopeandGlory]

Good morning Troops, Veterans and Canteeners.

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Our Flag Flying Proudly One Nation Under God

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Lord, Please Bless Our Troops, They're fighting for our Freedom.

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God Bless Our Republic

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation UNDER GOD,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

Prayers going up

[Old Sarge]

Hello, Hopelady!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Please note: The author of the Hall of Heroes is StarCMC.
Please thank her for today’s thread.

Hall of Heroes: Allen Dale June, Navajo Code Talker

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[Kathy in Alaska]

Honoring Our Heroes

2LT Rebecca USA (Daughter of U S Army EOD)
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[oldteen]

Good evening and thank you, ladies! *hugs*

Great story! Very sad that he is now gone.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

From Xerox ~ Let's Say Thanks to our Troops

Simple. Easy. Involve your kids.
We can each send thanks every single day.

[oldteen]

Evenin' Sarge! *hugs*

Was today a better day for ya?

[HiJinx]

Good evening, Sarge!
Looks like you made it in first, tonight.
Good job!

Life treating you well?

[SandRat]

In.

[oldteen]

Good evening Hope! *hugs

Thank you so very much for tonights pledge!

[Kathy in Alaska]

United States Marine Corps Band ~ National Anthem

[Old Sarge]

Hi, Jinx... ;]

Got back from the Ren Faire not too long ago. Had a great time, spent some money.

[SevenofNine]

Remember original dude from Invasion of Body snatchers

BreakingNews Kevin McCarthy, star of original ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers,’ dies at 96 - latimes http://lat.ms/9mJbVG

[SevenofNine]

Remember original dude from Invasion of Body snatchers

BreakingNews Kevin McCarthy, star of original ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers,’ dies at 96 - latimes http://lat.ms/9mJbVG

[oldteen]

Evenin’ HJ! *hugs*

[Old Sarge]

Much indeedy!

Spent money at the RenFaire again, shopping seems to soothe the soul...

[HiJinx]

Hi, Kathy!
Hi, Star!

Thanks for a great thread tonight! I read of SGT June’s passing on Friday, I believe, and thought how sad it was that another one was gone...