Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII

Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII is Chester Nez’s firsthand account of the development and deployment of the unbreakable Navajo code during World War II. At the time of the book’s publication in 2011, Nez was the last surviving member of the original 29 Navajo code talkers. He co-wrote this memoir with journalist Judith Schiess Avila, providing unique historical documentation of this military innovation. The memoir contributes to both military history and Native American studies. As the only primary source account from an original code talker, it illuminates the complex intersection of Native American culture with American military success. 

Nez recounts his journey from a traditional Navajo childhood to the harsh environment of government boarding schools, where Indigenous students were not allowed to speak their languages or practice their traditions in an effort to forcibly assimilate them into mainstream American culture. This was followed by Nez’s recruitment into an elite group of Marines who transformed his once forbidden Navajo language into an unbreakable military code that played a vital role in Allied victories. Nez’s narrative provides insights into both World War II history and the Native American experience of cultural duality in modern America.

This study guide refers to the 2011 Penguin Publishing Group ebook edition.

Content Warning: The source text contains descriptions of wartime violence and deaths, animal cruelty, and racist policies and behavior. It also uses an outdated term for Indigenous people, which is replicated in this guide in quotes or as part of the official names of governmental organizations.

Summary

Code Talker weaves together Chester Nez’s personal experience with significant historical events that shaped both Navajo and American history. The author was born into the Black Sheep clan and spent his early years as a sheepherder on the “Checkerboard” territory adjacent to the Navajo Nation. His childhood was steeped in traditional Navajo practices, including morning blessings with corn pollen, participation in sweat lodge ceremonies, and deep engagement with tribal storytelling traditions. These stories included the Navajo creation narrative as well as historical accounts of traumatic events like the Long Walk of 1864, during which thousands of Navajo people were forcibly relocated to Fort Sumner. This early period of Nez’s life prepared him to be resilient and taught him that the Navajos took pride in surviving adversity with dignity.

A pivotal shift occurred in Nez’s life when his father decided to send him to government boarding schools, including Fort Defiance, believing that Nez needed to learn English. At these schools, Nez experienced the systematic suppression of Navajo culture. Students faced mandatory haircuts, English-only policies, and physical punishment for speaking their native language. Despite these hardships, Nez became fluent in English and performed well academically. This enforced English education would later prove crucial to Nez’s role as a code talker.

The Great Livestock Massacre of the 1930s marked another traumatic event in Nez’s youth. Government workers destroyed much of the Navajo people’s livestock, devastating their economic foundation and traditional way of life. Nez’s family lost most of their sheep, and he was traumatized by the memory of watching these animals being burned alive. This event, which Nez considers second only to the Long Walk in its impact on Navajo history, reduced the Navajo tribe’s sheep population from 1.6 million to 400,000 between 1932 and 1944.

Following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Nez enlisted in the Marine Corps along with other young Navajo men. They volunteered to defend a nation that had historically oppressed their people. Nez became one of the 29 Navajo men who were selected to develop a military code based on the Navajo language. This group created an ingenious system that assigned Navajo words to represent English letters and developed special terms for military concepts, resulting in an unbreakable code that proved crucial to Allied victory in the Pacific theater.

Nez participated in several major battles, including Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, and Peleliu. The code talkers’ work proved invaluable, enabling rapid and secure communication that far surpassed traditional encryption methods. Their messages coordinated artillery strikes, troop movements, and supply operations, while maintaining perfect accuracy despite exhausting conditions and constant combat. The brutality of these experiences left lasting psychological impacts on Nez, who later required traditional Navajo healing ceremonies to address what would now be recognized as PTSD. His service demonstrated a striking irony: The same Navajo language he had been punished for speaking at boarding school became a crucial tool for American military success.

Upon returning home, Nez and the other Navajo code talkers faced continued discrimination despite their military service. This was further exacerbated by the code talker program remaining classified for 23 years after the war, which prevented them from sharing their true roles with anyone else, even family members. 

After the war, Nez pursued his education at the University of Kansas, married fellow student Ethel Pearl Catron, and worked at the Veterans Administration Hospital. His life included both triumphs and tragedies, including the loss of several children and his eventual divorce. He served again during the Korean War, though the Navajo code was not utilized in that conflict.

In 1968, the code talker program was declassified. This brought Nez public recognition, including ceremonial honors from Presidents Nixon and George W. Bush. In 2001, Nez and other original code talkers received Congressional Gold Medals for their service. Despite health challenges in his later years, including the amputation of both legs due to diabetes, Nez remained active in preserving the code talkers’ legacy through public speaking and the publication of his memoir.