I started this on Sptember 17th. From the September 5th Goldsboro News-Argus.
Chester Nez, 89, is still able to speak, but hobbled since losing both legs to diabetes. As a boy, he lived a traditional Navajo life in Two Wells Reservation, Arizona. That changed when he was sent to a boarding school set up by the federal government to assimilate Navajo children into American culture. He had his mouth washed out with soap for speaking his native language.
This is very ironic considering what he was later asked to do.
He was in 10th grade when a Marine recruiter came looking for young Navajos who were fluent in both their native language and English. He jumped at the chance to defend his country and get out of that boarding school.
About 250 Navajo showed up at Fort defiance, Arizona, but only 29 were selected to be a part of the first all-Native American unit of Marines and they were inducted in May 1942.
After basic training, the 382nd Platoon was given the job of developing the code.
More to Come. --Cooter
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