Navajo Code Talkers

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The Native Americans had long been mistreated and ostracized by the United States. Many Native Americans were murdered in America’s move to the west. When World War II erupted in 1941, many Native Americans jumped at the opportunity to serve. One Group of native Americans in particular lead the rush to the recruitment offices, the Navajo. Despite the genocidal history of Native American, the Navajo people risked their lives and used their language in defence of their aggressors.
The Navajo people were greatly discriminated against by the United States. The Navajo lands were located in the arid lands of present day Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern Utah. In the early 1860’s, violence began between the United States and the Navajos. General James Carleton ordered Colonel Kit Carson to force the Navajo to surrender or starve. The starving Navajo were forced to surrenders and were taken to Fort Sumner to be reformed. The Navajo were horribly mistreated by the United States’ Government.
At the start of World War
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The Marines at Guadalcanal had no knowledge of code talkers. When they listened to radio chatter, the marines believed their radios had been captured (Aaseng,1992). Navajos not only sounded like the Japanese but looked like them too (Aaseng,1992). Many officers believed the code talkers program was just the dream of someone behind a stateside desk and it would never work (Aaseng,1992). The secret program was causing great confusion.
The code talkers eventually earned the trust of the Marines. Navajo code talkers helped Marines capture and hold Guadalcanal.The Japanese stronghold of Rabaul choked off United States supply routes to Australia and New Zealand. Code talkers orchestrated surprise attacks that drove the Japanese from Rabaul. Some officers still refused to use the code talkers until later in the war (Aaseng,1992). Navajo code talkers began to earn the trust of the United States armed