|
 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
|
Posted on 12/21/2002 12:12:15 AM PST by SAMWolf
|
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
|
| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.
|
|
|
|
The Code That Was Never Broken It is easy to forget what the world was like in the early 1940s. With the United States being slowly pulled into the escalating conflict in Europe, we suddenly found ourselves faced with a two-front war as the Japanese Empire attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, followed by the Axis Powers declaration of war just four days later. One of the intelligence weapons the Japanese possessed was an elite group of welltrained English speaking soldiers, used to intercept U.S. communications, then sabotage the message or issue false commands to ambush American troops. Military code became more and more complex – at Guadalcanal, military leaders complained that it took two and a half hours to send and decode a single message.  The "first twenty-nine," as they are sometimes referred to, are the first twenty-nine enlistees credited with the development of the original code, consisting of approximately 200 terms. It was designed to be short and concise and used or combined standard native words to create new terms for military hardware. But what proved to be most inventive, and confusing to the enemy, was the incorporation of an innovative alphabet to cover unforseen contingencies. Using this method, the Navajo Code Talker could use distinctly different words for the exact same message, making the code extremely complex, but at the same time improving the speed of vital military communications. Due to its very flexibility, development of the code continued under subsequent Navajo Code Talkers, growing to over 600 terms. By the end of the war the Navajo code, and the very technique by which it was developed, became the most innovative, successful, and closely guarded military secret code of its time.  First twenty-nine Navajo U.S. Marine Corps code-talker recruits being sworn in at Fort Wingate, NM. Between the creation and the code's evolution is a distinction worthy of note. While all Navajo Code Talkers deserve recognition for their contribution to the code's use and continuing development, the original twenty-nine members gave birth to the idea, setting the standard for this living code. To decipher a message coded by the Navajo Code Talkers, the recipient first translated the Navajo words into English, and then used the first letter of each English word to decipher the meaning. Because different Navajo words might be translated into different English words for the same letter, the code was especially difficult to decipher. For example, for the letter "A," the Code Talker could use "wol-la-chee" (ant), "be-la-sana," (apple), or "tse-nill" (ax). Some military terms that had no equivalent in Navajo were assigned their own code word. The word America, for example, was "Ne-he-mah" (Our mother). Submarine became "besh-lo" (iron fish).  Military commanders credited the Code with having saved the lives of countless American soldiers and with the successful engagements of the U.S. in the battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. At Iwo Jima, Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal officer, had six Navajo Code Talkers working around the clock during the first forty-eight hours of the battle. Those six sent and received more than 800 messages, all without error. Major Connor declared, "Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima."
|
Truer words were never spoken. Good Moring DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet.
Right again!!!!
|
 Noumea Aug 17, 1943 Photog: Salvatore Gatto, 1st Raider JAPANESE COULDN'T DECIPHER THEIR "CODE" Three of the Navajo Marines who served with the Marine Raiders on New Georgia as communicators, sending battlefront messages in the Navajo language, which the Japanese found impossible to decode. Left to right, they are: Private First Class Edmond John of Shiprock, New Mexico; Private First Class Wilsie H. Bitsie, Mexican Springs, New Mexico, and Private First Class Eugene R. Crawford of Chinle, Arizona.  Hawaii 5 Mar 48 Pearl Harbor, T.H. -- Marine Corporal William D. Yazzie, son of Mrs. Paul Wilson of Shiprock, N.M., is congratulated by Major General Samuel L. Howard, commander of Marine Garrison Forces, Pacific, who presented the Corporal with a temporary certificate in lieu of the bronze rifle medal which he won in the Pacific Division rifle and pistol matches held recently at Puuloa Point rifle range on the island of Oahu. Corporal Yazzie, who had been stationed Tsingtao, China, fired in competition with nearly 100 other Marine shooters from units throughout the Pacific. A veteran of three Pacific campaigns, Cpl. Yazzie enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 1941.  Enroute to Okinawa 3/31/45 Photog: CSP Zerbe (NAVY) MARINE RADIO MESSENGERS -- (L to R) Private First Class Hosteen Kelwood, Private Floyd Saupitty and Private First Class Alex Williams are on their way to the Japanese war front. PFCs Williams and Kelwood are Navajos and Private Saupitty, a Comanche. They are veterans of Peleliu.  20 Nov 1944 NAVAJOS AT PELELIU Navajos from Arizona played an important part in maintaining communication at Peleliu. They are, front row, left to right: PFC Billy Cleveland, of Red Lake, Fort Defiance; PFC Nelson A. Brown, of Thunderbird Ranch, Chinle; PFC Alfred Tah of Chinle; PFC San Tsosie, of Star Route, Winslow; PFC Alex Williams, of Leupp. Rear row, left to right: PFC Dennis Cattlechaser, of Tuba City; PFC Thomas Claw, of Chinle; PFC Joe H. Kellwood, of Steamboat Canyon, Ganado; PFC Carl Crawford, of Ganado; PFC Wallace Peshlakai, of Twin Peaks; PFC Layton Paddock, of Winslow. In the foreground, commending them for their work is Marine Lieutenant Colonel James C. Smith, First Marine Division Signal Officer.
|
Well Sam, it's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.
|
 Guadalcanal Aug 1943 GUADALCANAL WASHDAY -- On the banks of the famous Tenaru River, where some of the bloodiest fighting of the South Pacific War took place last year, Private First Class LeRoy John, 20, a member of U.S. Marine Corps, presents an incongruously placid picture as he goes through that domestic task of washing clothes with a hand operated "state-side" washing machine. This photo was taken a year after the first Marines landed here and is indicative of the completeness with which Marines have secured this island against any possible Japanese threat to retake it. John is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Eticitty Begay of Shiprock, New Mexico.  1st MarDiv Okinawa 4/6/1945 Private Jimmy D. Benallie stands in front of a shop beneath a Japanese sign.  Pearl Harbor 2 Mar 47 PEARL HARBOR, T.H. (Delayed) - Marine Privates First Class Alec E. Nez, Flagstaff, Ariz., left, and William D. Yazzie, Shiprock, N.M., recently participated in the Marine Corps Pacific Division Rifle and pistol matches at Puuloa Point, T.H. Both Marines fired a total score of 545 out of a possible six hundred, but Yazzie fired a higher score the second day and placed third while Nez placed fourth. Yazzie received a gold medal, Nez the first silver medal. The presentations were made by Brigadier General H. D. Linscott, Commanding General, Marine Garrison Forces, Pacific. Yazzie and Nez were two of the men chosen to represent the First Marine Division in the San Diego and Quantico, Va., matches  Navajo communications men with the Marines on Saipan landed with the first assault waves to hit the beach. Left to right: Cpl. Oscar B. Iithma of Gallup, N.M., Pfc. Jack Nez of Fort Defiance, Arizona, and Pfc. Carl C. Gorman, Chinle, Arizona.
|
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
