The Codetalkers In World War Ii

The Codetalkers in World War II

In WWII America used the Navajos that could speak English and Navajo fluently so that they could send messages in battle using the language.

     About the Language and Code     The Navajo language has no alphabet or symbols.  Only about 30 non-Navajos could speak the language, all of them were not Japenese.  That is how Philip Johnson got the idea of using the Navajos as Code Talkers.  Philip was the son of a white trader and he knew "Trader Navajo", something that the traders spoke when the Navajos came to the local trading post.  Philip had a few Navajo friends and he took them to the local Marine Corps station in San Diego, to show how the language could be used.  They granted his request and let him train Navajos in various camps.

                    The Code     The Navajo code worked like this, Wolichai = Ant, and that would be the word for the letter A.  It is hard to understand at first, but you'll get it.  You see what the Navajo word means in English the first letter of that word is another letter of a word.  Here is a better example.                          apple                         numbat                         teacher     Look at the first letters of the words.  The first letters put together spell Ant.  That is how the code works.