DATE=2-27-98
      TYPE=SPECIAL ENGLISH FEATURE
    NUMBER=7-19540
     TITLE=SPECIAL ENGLISH AMERICAN MOSAIC #654-CODE TALKERS
    BYLINE=NANCY STEINBACH
 TELEPHONE=619-2585
  DATELINE=WASHINGTON
    EDITOR=MARILYN CHRISTIANO

CONTENT=

HOST:

CARL GORMAN DIED EARLIER THIS MONTH IN THE WESTERN STATE OF NEW 
MEXICO.  HE WAS NINETY YEARS OLD.  MISTER GORMAN WAS THE OLDEST 
OF A SPECIAL GROUP OF AMERICANS WHO SERVED IN WORLD WAR TWO.  
THEY WERE "CODE TALKERS".  ______________ EXPLAINS.

ANNCR:

THE CODE TALKERS WERE NATIVE AMERICANS WHO HELPED SHORTEN WORLD 
WAR TWO FOR ALLIED FORCES IN THE PACIFIC.  THEY USED THE NAVAJO 
LANGUAGE OF THEIR INDIAN TRIBE AS A SECRET WEAPON.  

MISTER GORMAN AND TWENTY-EIGHT OTHER NAVAJOS DEVELOPED A SECRET 
COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM.  IT PERMITTED AMERICAN MARINE COMMANDERS 
TO USE THEIR RADIOS TO GIVE ORDERS, REPORT ABOUT TROOP MOVEMENTS 
AND PLAN OPERATIONS.  THE COMMANDERS KNEW THAT JAPANESE SOLDIERS 
LISTENING TO THESE COMMUNICATIONS WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO 
UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS SAID.

NAVAJO IS A COMPLEX LANGUAGE.  IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO LEARN
TO SPEAK.  IN NINETEEN-FORTY-TWO, ONLY A FEW PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT 
NAVAJOS COULD SPEAK IT AT ALL.

MISTER GORMAN AND THE OTHER CODE TALKERS USED NAVAJO WORDS TO 
EXPRESS THE MEANING OF ORDERS GIVEN BY MARINE COMMANDERS.  FOR 
EXAMPLE, DIFFERENT KINDS OF PLANES WERE REPRESENTED BY NAVAJO 
WORDS FOR DIFFERENT KINDS OF BIRDS.  A BOMBING PLANE WAS CALLED A
"JAY-SHO", OR BUZZARD IN NAVAJO.  A FIGHTER PLANE WAS A 
"DA-HE-TIH-HI", OR HUMMING BIRD.  OTHER ANIMALS REPRESENTED OTHER
WORDS ..."CHAY-DA-GAHI", TURTLE IN NAVAJO, MEANT A TANK.

MORE THAN FOUR-HUNDRED NAVAJO CODE TALKERS SERVED DURING THE 
SECOND WORLD WAR.  THE ENEMY NEVER BROKE THEIR CODE.  ONE 
AMERICAN GENERAL REPORTEDLY SAID THE MARINES COULD NOT HAVE 
CAPTURED THE ISLAND OF IWO JIMA WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE CODE 
TALKERS.  THE CODE WAS KEPT SECRET FOR MANY YEARS AFTER THE WAR. 
MILITARY OFFICIALS CONSIDERED IT SO VALUABLE THAT NO ONE WAS 
PERMITTED TO TALK ABOUT IT UNTIL NINETEEN-SIXTY-NINE.

AFTER THAT, MISTER GORMAN AND OTHERS SPOKE ABOUT THE WORK OF THE 
CODE TALKERS.  THEY FINALLY WERE RECOGNIZED FOR HAVING SAVED 
THOUSANDS OF ALLIED LIVES DURING THE WAR.  THE NAVAJO CODE 
TALKERS SAID THEY WERE PROUD TO BE UNITED STATES MARINES, OR IN 
THEIR LANGUAGE, "WASHINDON BE AKALH  B-KOSILAI".

26-Feb-98 4:16 PM EST (2116 UTC)
NNNN

Source: Voice of America
.