Navajo Code Talker dies at 96; less than a handful remain
Source: Omaha World Herald-AP
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — One of the few remaining Navajo Code Talkers who used their native language to confound the Japanese in World War II has died.
Joe Vandever Sr. died of health complications Friday in Haystack, New Mexico, according to his family. He was 96.
Tribal leaders called Vandever a “great warrior” and a “compassionate family man" and asked Navajos to keep his spirit and his family in their prayers.
Vandever was among hundreds of Navajos who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, transmitting messages using a code based on the Navajo language. The code developed by an original group of 29 Navajos was never broken.
FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2011, file photo, Leland Anthony, Arizona Rep. for Indian Health Incorp., left, speaks with Navajo code talker Joe Vandever Sr. during Native American Day at the roundhouse in Santa Fe, New Mexico. One of the few remaining Navajo Code Talkers who used their native language to confound the Japanese in World War II has died. Joe Vandever Sr. died of health complications Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, in Haystack, New Mexico, west of Grants, according to his family. He was 96. Tribal leaders called Vandever a "great warrior" and a "compassionate family man," and asked Navajos to keep his spirit and his family in their prayers. (Jane Phillips/The New Mexican via AP)
Jane Phillips
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We all owe a great debt to this man. May he be in peace forever.
cross gently brave hero, you did well in helping to defeat the Japanese in WWII.
Semper Fidelis Marine.
A truly great country would honor these heroes by a huge and meaningful commitment to respect and lift up Native rights, land, sovereignty, cultures, and languages.
