Despite over a century of ill treatment and the state of near dependency that many were reduced to, 56,000 Native Americans served the United States in both world wars. They served in every theater and in every branch of the military, sacrificing themselves for the cause of victory. Those who could not enlist due to age or infirmity went to work manufacturing the instruments of war, producing essential weapons and supplies. They were soldiers and sailors, pilots and marines, grunts and even generals. The greatest contribution to the war effort, however, was made by the “code talkers,” who used their native language to provide secure lines of communication for American forces.
During the First World War, as the empires of Europe battled for mere inches in the killing fields between the trenches, the United States confused German code breakers by using the Choctaw language to dispatch orders to its field armies. Choctaw Indians, working as dispatch operators, spontaneously translated orders into their language and transmitted them to radio operators in the field. Some of these operators were non-Indians who had received special instruction from Choctaw teachers, but the majority were native Choctaw. The German forces were unable to break this encryption despite their success with earlier codes. The overall impact of this program was that the Americans were able to move their forces without their plans being revealed to the Germans.
In the tense years before the outbreak of the Second World War, Nazi agents made efforts to learn the Choctaw language by dispatching agents disguised as anthropologists and scholars. They even went so far as to try and persuade some Indians to work against the American recruitment drive. Not a word of this was to be had and the Nazi efforts only increased the desire of Native Americans to serve the United States. Both the Navajo and the Comanche nations offered their services as translators in the American Signal Corps toward the end of 1940. Noting the success of the previous use of native languages as code, American military leaders eagerly accepted.
As war loomed on the horizon, Native Americans volunteered for military service in record numbers. Those who were turned away due to illiteracy returned to their reservations and established educational programs to train their people for the basic aptitude tests required for enlistment in the American military. The Iroquois renewed their 1918 declaration of war against Germany and amended it to include Japan and Italy. When the United States entered the war in December of 1941, 44,000 Native Americans were a part of the armed forces. The Choctaw language was once again used in the European Theater, and once more it confused the German code breakers. In addition to Choctaw, the Comanche language was also used as code for American forces in Europe. Relaying vital messages, Native Americans were able to provide secure lines of communication for the Army Signal Corps. Without their help, it would have been more difficult to achieve a victory in Europe.
However, the most celebrated unit of “code talkers” were the Navajo of the Pacific Theater. Serving with the Marines, the Navajo “code talkers” earned widespread fame for their military prowess and formed one of the most cohesive units in the military. With efficiency and discipline, they relayed messages from command posts to signal operators in the filed. The Japanese were unable to break this code and found themselves at a loss. In 1942, at Guadalcanal, the Navajo “code talkers” were instrumental in the Allied victory. Subsequently, the unit was expanded to encompass all six Marines divisions in the Pacific Theater. During the intense battle for Iwo Jima, Navajo soldiers transmitted 800 coded messages over a 48 hour period to U.S. Marines as they fought to establish control of the beaches.
With the help of the “code talkers,” the United States was able to establish an unbreakable line of communication that allowed for overall military success. The Native Americans who volunteered as soldiers and served in this position earned the respect and admiration of their non-Indian counterparts. Though it would take another 56 years, Native American “code talkers” were finally honored by the United States government at a ceremony in Washington D.C in 2001. While the official recognition of their service and sacrifice was long overdue, their counterparts did not forget these Indians. Respected for their dedication and admired for their warrior image, Native Americans provided a vital service to the United States.
