Many codetalkers were also active during the Korean War. "Even when I was lost, I remembered who I was and that got me home and hopefully my language got others home, too." "I learned that war is not good but if you must fight, fight with honor and remember who you are," he said. Hubbard maintains that his role as a codetalker was just as important as any other job during the war, he does concede that remembering who you are can sometimes lead to the success of others. "There was finally something I could give to my country. "It's not something I talked about - (being a codetalker) was just another part of my life journey," said Mr. The Navajo language was made into the main language which would be used as a secret code.Īfter the war, all the codetalkers were ordered to remain silent about what their mission and role in fighting the enemies of World War II. When the United States entered World War II, it enlisted the help of not only Navajo Indians but also men from the Choctaw, Hopi, Comanche, Kiowa, Winnebago, Seminole and Cherokee tribes. The men and their language were used only this once but gave the U.S. Immersed in a battle completely surrounded by the German Army and losing messengers to them as well as having their coded transmissions deciphered, a commander of the company decided to try an idea: have the Choctaw men spaced out among the battle regiments and transfer orders and positioning intelligence over the field telephones using the Choctaw language. Although the men serving in the American regiment were not formally trained in code talking, they ended up saving the day. In World War I, there was a group of eight Choctaw Indians who helped win a key closing battle in the Meusse Argonne Campaign, the final German push to win the war. At one point, it has been recorded that the codetalkers sent more than 800 radio transmissions over the wire in a 2-day period without one error in transmission.Īlthough the codetalkers from World War II are the most famous, there were also a group who predated them. Once they were proven in battle, the codetalkers were used more frequently. military find a successful countermeasure. Not until the codetalkers were put on line did the U.S. There are many stories about how Americans were fighting against their own due to Japanese trickery in changing radio transmissions. Hubbard, like most other codetalkers, was sent to the South Pacific. Towards the end of the war, I was drafted and the military gave me transportation to the war."Īfter training Mr. "I was working more than 90 miles away and the distance caused me to stay away from the war a little longer than many. "I was asked to be a part of the original group but I could not accept the invitation because of transportation conflicts," he said. Hubbard was not one of the original 29, he did have the opportunity. Originally, 29 men were picked from Marine Corps boot camps and sent to communications school for training in the code. Men from all areas of the Navajo Reservation were selected for the training. Although the Enigma was eventually broken, the Navajo language remains the only language to never be cracked by the enemy. Instead of using a machine to convert known language into a coded form, the men who become known as codetalkers used the language of an American Indian tribe to call ciphered transmissions over the radio to one another. The United States had formed its own brand of code similar in idea to the German Enigma. He was hand-picked for enlistment into the role of codetalker because of his ability to write, speak, communicate and translate both English and Navajo. Hubbard went through Marine Corps boot camp and then training at Camp Pendleton, Calif., to be a Marine Corps Navajo Codetalker linguist. Arthur Hubbard took a moment to thank the servicemembers in uniform today and related that he, too, had served in the military - as a Navajo Codetalker.Īt 19, Mr. Clad in bright yellow and brandishing a red garrison hat adorned with military pins and a ceremonial necklace, the distinguished speaker humbly identified himself to the audience as someone who served in World War II.
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