Episode 158 - Unbreakable Code, Unforgettable Heroes: Navajo Code Talkers and Veterans Day

The Ordinary, Extraordinary Cemetery

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In this episode Jennie and Dianne honor Veterans Day and celebrate National Native American Heritage Month along with guests Charlie Johnson and Connie Kellwood Pitt. Connie's father, Joe Hosteen Kellwood was one of the renowned Navajo Code Talkers of WWII. Connie has made it her mission to share not only her father's personal story, but the stories of the 420 Ordinary Extraordinary Navajo men who participated in every major Marine operation in the Pacific theater. They translated hundreds of thousands of messages using the Navajo language between 1942 and the end of the conflict in 1945, and not one message was ever decoded by the Japanese. Upon returning home at the end of the war, the men were forbidden to tell of their heroic deeds until the mission was finally declassified by the military in 1968. Connie paints a vivid picture of courage and the strength and determination of true Navajo warriors who fought to protect their fellow Marines, their families and their country. To all of America's veterans, thank you.
To learn more about the Navajo Code Talkers, follow these links graciously shared by Connie Pitt:
Peter MacDonald Video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=185510686096640

Library of Congress Video: https://guides.loc.gov/navajo-code-talkers/profiles/joe-kellwood

Navajo Code Talkers: A Guide to First-Person Narratives in the Veterans History Project

Biography of Navajo Code Talker Joe Kellwood, together with a video recording of his oral history interview from the Veterans History Project archives

Dad's Passing (Joe Kelleood) - CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/07/us/navajo-code-talker-joe-hosteen-kellwood-obit/index.html

Obituary: https://funeralinnovations.com/obituaries/view/365395/2

https://navajocodetalkers.org/ (lots of information)
Additional resources used to research this episode include:
, Intel.Gov. "1942: NAVAJO CODE TALKERS ." https://www.intelligence.gov. www.intelligence.gov/people/barrier-breakers-in-history/453-navajo-code-talkers#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20Marines%20knew%20where,key%20phrases%20and%20military%20tactics. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
Operations, Intelligence And. "Navajo Code Talkers and the Unbreakable Code ." https://www.cia.gov. 6 Nov. 2008. www.cia.gov/stories/story/navajo-code-talkers-and-the-unbreakable-code/. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
Jevec, Adam. "Semper Fidelis, Code Talkers ." https://www.archives.gov. 1 Jan. 2001. www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2001/winter/navajo-code-talkers.html. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
United States . VA Cemeteries . American Indian Code Talkers, World War ll.
Nez, Chester, and Judith Schiess Avila. Code Talker. 1st ed., New York , Berkley Publishing Group, 2011, pp. 1 - 242.

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