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Congressional Gold Medal Recipients
Navajo Code Talkers
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E N A T O R J E F F B I N G A M A N ' S N A V A J O C O D E T A L K E R S P A G E The Ceremonies
Congressional Silver Medal Ceremony
Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
Congressional Silver Medal Ceremony
The Navajo Nation took great interest in conducting the presentation of the silver medals to the Navajo Code Talkers as, according to President Kelsey Begaye, this was a celebration of all Navajo people. On November 24, 2001, the Nation held the ceremony at the Fair Grounds in Window Rock, Arizona, with over 3,000 people in attendance to witness this historic occasion.
The event was significant for several reasons this is the first time in over 70 years that Congress has authorized the award of Silver Medals, as well as the first time 3-inch diameter Silver Medals have been struck. Each medal weighs 8.1 troy ounces of 99.9 percent pure silver, and is identical in design to that of the Gold. In all, approximately 225 Congressional Silver Medals were presented to Navajo Code Talker veterans or their family members. However, the search for the remaining Navajo Code Talkers continues, as World War II service records are found and brought to the United States Marine Corps for verification. Earlier this ye
Mr. David Tsosie receives the Silver Medal. (Photo courtesy Jim Snyder of the Farmington Daily Times.) ar, Mr. David Tsosie became the most recent member officially identified as part of this heroic group of veterans and, on March 9, 2002, Senator Bingaman traveled to Bloomfield, New Mexico, to present him with this prestigious award. "Because Code Talkers were sworn to secrecy, they were not properly honored until a few short months ago - some 50 years after the end of World War II. But for Mr. Tsosie, the wait has been even longer," Bingaman said. "I applaud the Pentagon and Marine Corps for taking a closer look at their records, and coming up with information that provides what we suspected all along: that Mr. Tsosie is very much worthy of a Congressional Silver Medal. But most of all, I thank Mr. Tsosie for his invaluable service to our country."
Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony - July 26, 2001
Click on picture for photo gallery.
The Congressional gold medal ceremony was held in the Capitol Rotunda on July 26, 2001, witnessed by a standing-room-only audience. Members of Congress, the Marine Corps, Code Talker family members, and invited guests crowded into the chamber to participate in this historic event, at which President Bush presented gold medals to the first twenty-nine Navajo Code Talkers.
Navajo Code Talkers Movie History - Windtalkers
Among those honored were: John Brown Jr., Crystal, N.M.; Chester Nez, Albuquerque, N.M.; Allen Dale June, West Valley City, Utah; and Lloyd Oliver, Phoenix, Ariz. Joe Palmer, also one of the original 29, was unable to attend for health reasons. The following Code Talkers were represented at the ceremony by family members: Charlie Y. Begay, Roy L. Begay, Samuel H. Begay, John Ashi Benally, Wilsie H. Bitsie, Cosey S. Brown, John Chee, Benjamin Cleveland, Eugene R. Crawford, David Curley, Lowell S. Damon, George H. Dennison, James Dixon, Carl N. Gorman, Oscar B. Ilthma, Alfred Leonard, Johnny R. Manuelito, William McCabe, Jack Nez, Frank Denny Pete, Nelson S. Thompson, Harry Tsosie, John Willie and William Dean Wilson. John Brown, Jr. spoke on behalf of the recipients, thanking the President and the Congress. He was interrupted several times as the audience rose to their feet to cheer and applaud. "It seems fitting to be here in the Capitol Rotunda, such a historic place, where so many heroes have been honored. I am proud that the Navajo Code Talkers today join the ranks of those great
Americans" Brown said. "Of the original 29 Code Talkers" he continued, "there are just 5 of us that live today -- Chester Nez, Lloyd Oliver, Alan Dale June, Joe Palmer, and myself. We have seen much in our lives; we have experienced war and peace; we know the value of freedom and democracy that this great nation embodies. But, our experiences have also shown us how fragile these things can be, and how we must stay ever vigilant to protect them. As Code Talkers -- as Marines -- we did our part to protect these values. It is my hope that our young people will carry on this honorable tradition as long as the grass shall grow and the rivers flow." Senator Bingaman described the Congressional gold and silver medals as among the most distinguished honors the Congress can bestow. In this case, he added, he also considers it a celebration of human ingenuity and innovation, especially when faced with what seemed to be insurmountable odds. "As a nation," he said, "we are but a product of those who have come before us, and of their accomplishments, their contributions, and their sacrifice in the struggle for freedom and democracy. Through the presentation of this distinguished award, the Congress expresses the gratitude of an entire nation to these brave and innovative veterans." As we face our current struggles and uncertain times ahead, we may take comfort in knowing we have such notable and excellent examples to follow.
Photo Gallery
The Movie
Navajo Code Talkers Congressional Gold Medal Recipients
Charley Tsosie Begay
b. 12 May 1912 d. 15 July 1998
Roy Begay
b. New Mexico d. Palau Island, 1944
Samuel Hosteen Nez Begay
b. 15 July 1914 d. July 1984
John Ashi Benally
b. 29 August 1917 d. Virginia, 4 December 1980
Wilsie H. Bitsie
Cosey Stanley Brown
b. near Muerto Canyon and Canyon de Chelly, near Chinle, Arizona, 5 December 1925 d. 26 January 1974
John Brown, Jr.
John Chee
Benjamin H. Cleveland
Eugene Roanhorse Crawford
David Curley
Lowell Smith Damon
George H. Dennison
b. New Mexico, 15 July 1918 d. May 1973
James Dixon
b. 10 September 1924 d. 21 June 1997
Carl Nelson Gorman
b. Chinle, Arizona, 5 October 1907 d. Arizona, 29 January 1998
Oscar B. Ilthma
Allen Dale June
b. Window Rock, Arizona, abt. 1921
Alfred Leonard
Johnny R. Manuelito, Sr.
b. 10 October 1921 d. 1 April 1968
William McCabe
b. 3 February 1913 d. October 1969
Chester Nez
b. abt. 1921
Jack Nez
b. 15 January 1914 d. June 1976
Lloyd Oliver
Joe Palmer (aka Balmer Slowtalker)
Frank Danny Pete
b. 4 July 1920 d. May 1974
Nelson S. Thompson
b. 15 December 1910 d. February 1983
Harry Tsosie
b. Fort Wingate, New Mexico, abt. 1920 d. Bougainville, Solomon Islands, 1944
John W. Willie, Jr.
William Yazzie
Thursday, 21 December 2000
An Act Making consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,... SEC. 1101. HONORING THE NAVAJO CODE TALKERS. (a) Congress finds that--
(1) on December 7, 1941, the Japanese Empire attacked Pearl Harbor and war was declared by Congress the following day; (2) the military code, developed by the United States for transmitting messages, had been deciphered by the Japanese, and a search by United States intelligence was made to develop new means to counter the enemy; (3) the United States Government called upon the Navajo Nation to support the military effort by recruiting and enlisting 29 Navajo men to serve as Marine Corps Radio Operators; (4) the number of Navajo enlistees later increased to more than 350; (5) at the time, the Navajos were often treated as second-class citizens, and they were a people who were discouraged from using their own native language; (6) the Navajo Marine Corps Radio Operators, who became known as the "Navajo Code Talkers", were used to develop a code using their native language to communicate military messages in the Pacific; (7) to the enemy's frustration, the code developed by these
Native Americans proved to be unbreakable, and was used extensively throughout the Pacific theater; (8) the Navajo language, discouraged in the past, was instrumental in developing the most significant and successful military code of the time; (9) at Iwo Jima alone, the Navajo Code Talkers passed over 800 error-free messages in a 48-hour period; (10) use of the Navajo Code was so successful, that-- (A) military commanders credited it in saving the lives of countless American soldiers and in the success of the engagements of the United States in the battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa; (B) some Code Talkers were guarded by fellow marines, whose role was to kill them in case of imminent capture by the enemy; and (C) the Navajo Code was kept secret for 23 years after the end of World War II; (11) following the conclusion of World War II, the Department of Defense maintained the secrecy of the Navajo code until it was declassified in 1968; and (12) only then did a realization of the sacrifice and valor of these brave
Native Americans emerge from history. (b)(1) To express recognition by the United States and its citizens in honoring the Navajo Code Talkers, who distinguished themselves in performing a unique, highly successful communications operation that greatly assisted in saving countless lives and hastening the end of World War II in the Pacific, the President is authorized--
(A) to award to each of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers, or a surviving family member, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal of appropriate design, honoring the Navajo Code Talkers; and (B) to award to each person who qualified as a Navajo Code Talker (MOS 642), or a surviving family member, on behalf of the Congress, a silver medal of appropriate design, honoring the Navajo Code Talkers. (2) For purposes of the awards authorized by paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Treasury (in this section referred to as the "Secretary") shall strike gold and silver medals with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. (c) The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the medals struck pursuant to this section, under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, and a price sufficient to cover the costs thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the medals. (d) The medals struck pursuant to this section are national medals for purposes of chapter 51, of title 31, United States Code. (e)(1) There is authorized to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, such sums as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals authorized by this section. (2) Amounts received from the sale of duplicate medals under this section shall be deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund. 114 Stat. 2763A-311 - 2763A-312 NOTES
Only 4 attended the ceremony held 27 July 2001: John Brown, Allen June, Chester Nez, and Lloyd Oliver with one too ill to make the trip, that being Joe Palmer. The rest of the 29 are considered to be deceased.
2000 Navajo Code Talkers In 2001, President George W. Bush honored the 29 Navajo Code Talkers of World War II. These Marine Corps radio operators used a secret code based on their native language to radio military plans between allied forces. The Japanese couldnt break the code because only Navajo speakers could understand it. The medal was awarded because the work of the Code Talkers "greatly assisted in saving countless lives and hastening the end of World War II in the Pacific." The back of the medal is inscribed with Navajo words that mean "The Navajo Language Was Used to Defeat the Enemy."
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