Navajo Code Talkers- What made them so important?

          During WWII, the Marines recruited 29 Navajo Native Americans in their attempt to create a secret and indecipherable language to transmit messages, war plans, and commands. This idea was not new: the United States had used parts of the Chocktaw language during WWI, but it along with many other Native American languages were learned by the Germans and Japanese in the period between the two wars. The Navajo language was so special because its grammar and syntax is very hard to understand for people unfamiliar with the language and it is not written. Chester Nez, a Navajo code talker said, "We acted as coding machines, transmitting messages that would have taken a couple hours in just a couple of minutes." These first 29 code talkers, in only 13 weeks, created and memorized more than 200 new words that would be important on the battlefield. This new code mixed in direct translations from english as well as code for words created from combination of Navajo words, so that even when the Japanese captured a Sergeant who spoke Navajo, he could not decipher the code. 15 of these 29 recruits were then trained for combat and were sent to help at the battle at Guadacanal. The General of the 1st Marine Division was so impressed that he requested more be sent, and, by the end of WWII, more than 350 people would learn the secret language.
         
             In battle, the code talkers worked in pairs, taking shelter wherever they could find it, sending important messages about ammunition, reinforcements, and strategies on the ground before moving again to avoid getting shot or bombed. At Iwo Jima, they were reportedly able to send over 800 messages during a 48 hour period- all error free. Generals from the fighting sited the Navajo code talkers as invaluable during the decisive battle, as the Japanese were not able to decipher the codes and the military could conduct all operations without knowledge from the enemy.
           These men were not able to speak about their experiences and the crucial role they played in the Pacific until the program was declassified in 1968 and received discrimination when they returned home from war, unbeknownst heroes. In 2001 the group received the Congressional Gold medal. In recent news, they were recognized at the White House for their service and the ceremony proved we may still have work to do in fighting discrimination.