Navajo Code Talker veteran to attend National Code Talker Day in Phoenix

A crowd is expected to gather in Phoenix to observe National Code Talker Day on August 14, honoring the Navajo Code Talkers and all Native Americans who served during World War II. Among the attendees will be 101-year-old Thomas H. Begay, who is one of the last two remaining Code Talkers.

During the war, the Marine Corps recruited and trained more than 400 Navajo men to use their native, then-unwritten language to transmit confidential information. This code played a vital role in U.S. victories in the Pacific by communicating battle tactics and enemy movements. The program remained classified until 1968.

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation designating August 14 as the official day of recognition. The proclamation also acknowledged the contributions of other tribes, including the Choctaw, Chippewa, Creek, and Sioux, who used tribal languages for military communication.