Events › Our Stories: Talking Code with a Secret Weapon- Navajo Code Talkers Speak

During WWII a group of young Navajo men enlisted in the Marines unaware that they would develop a secret code against the Japanese military. This select group of Code Talkers devised a Navajo language code that was accurate, quick, never broken, and saved many American lives. Excerpts from live interviews with the Code Talkers tell their stories before, during, and after the war that reflect their resiliency and their service to the U.S., a country that once tried to erase Navajo identity and language in the schools. Without fanfare the Code Talkers returned home to continued poverty and lack of opportunity and yet persevered. They overcame obstacles that helped change the Navajo Nation and their communities. Over twenty years passed after their discharge before Code Talkers were honored for their service by U.S. Presidents and the Navajo Nation.

Presenter Laura Tohe is Diné and the current Navajo Nation Poet Laureate. She is Sleepy Rock People and born for the Bitter Water People. She published 3 books of poetry, an anthology of Native women’s writing, and an oral history on the Navajo Code Talkers. She is the daughter of a Navajo Code Talker. 

Registration is not required. 

Our Stories presents diverse speakers who share unique Arizona and local history topics to a general audience throughout the year. This series is produced by the Chandler Museum and the Chandler Public Library, with support from the Friends of the Chandler Public Library.

This program is made possible by Arizona Humanities.