Navajo Code Talker

Throughout World War II the Japanese found a way to crack every code the U.S military used. This was until the U.S military recruited the Navajo people to come up with a code that no one could crack. "I am very proud to have been able to serve this fine country." This was one of the many things that we heard Chester Nez say when we went to hear him talk.Chester Nez and 28 other men developed the only unbroken code in modern war fare. He is the last of  the original Navajo code talkers.

Chester Nez and Louie Zamperini are a lot a like.  They were both proud to be a soldier.  Just Like chester said,  “I am proud to fight for my country.”  They both went through hard times growing up.  Louie was poor and stole to get food and always got into trouble.  Chester got in trouble when he wanted to speak his Native language and when he did at school someone would hit him.  everyday in their childhood someone tried to make them change, but when someone tried to change them they would try not not change.  Little did they know this would help their lives in the future.  During Louies military experience his childhood helped because he was tough mentally and physically .  Roger Nez used his childhood experience to created the best code in his language that was ever spoken in WWll.  

Chester Nez

Chester Nez was born in Chichiltah in the Navajo Nation walking from 15-20 miles to the grass for their sheep. But you didn’t hear any complains from the Navajo, they have their own little peaceful time. It was about collaborating and sharing. Even though it was a daily routine for them, the population of the livestock grew bigger. In that being said, the federal government than past on a livestock-reduction policy because the sheep were destroying the land by overgrazing. He remembered his Grandma cried that night because more than half of her sheep were dead. When he turned 18, the Marines came to his school. Pearl Harbour had been attacked, the Americans needed more men. The U.S. Marines were looking for a noteworthy type of guy. They got the answer, it had to be the Navajo Indians. Chester Nez was one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers and those 29 original Code Talker were informed of their mission to make an unbreakable code. They devised a code that was the only unbroken code in modern warfare. A connection between Louie Zamperini and Chester Nez is that they both had an unexpected mission. For example Louie is an Olympian, his goal is to break record and wins medal. Chester Nez is just an ordinary Navajo Indians and he faces hardship about his culture and heritage outside of his home. Everything for them came too fast for them to realize about their past.  A question I have for Chester is “Did he see the sheep burned up in the trenches, if he did. How would he describe about what happen at that time. At the Presentation there was a simple powerful saying he says that I would never thought anyone would say. The question was What is one of your most memorable moment you have, “ One of my most memorable moment was herding sheep. said Nez” This tell me that he really care about his grandma’s sheep and that it was a big part of his life. Another question I would as him is, Did he learned anything he thought he would never learned when he went to war?”

Chester Nez Blog

Chester Nez: What I've learned

                        There are quite a few things I have learned but I have narrowed them down to 2 things. The first thing I learned while Chester was speaking is that miracles can happen. For instance, he was not able to speak Navaho in boarding school or he was beaten. But when he joined the code talkers he was honored to speak his own language. Furthermore, I learned from Chester that learning to think under pressure can be very easy if you try hard enough. In example, Chester had to emit codes while in the middle of a fierce battle, which must've taken real self control. In conclusion, Chester taught me miracles are possible and Thinking under pressure can be easy if you try hard enough.

Chester Nez

Chester Nez was a Marine. He was also one of the 29 code talkers and one of the last code talkers alive today. He lived in the Navajo Reservation which is but Arizona and Colorado. He lives there when he was little. He went to school when he was 5 years old as a Kindergartener and he was not treated well by the teachers. They would not let him speak his native language at school he was only able to speak English like all the other kids.They lived in a sandy areas where they lived in summer homes during the summer. They would have to take their animals 10-20 miles just to get to grassy areas to feed their animals. The code that they use is based off of our English alphabet and translated into their special code talkers code. Many people when growing up just didn't treat him right because of his race. Even though these people did not treat him right he still was willing enough to serve our country. He was very proud about serving our country when he said, “ I was very proud that I served our country, and I will always be proud of it.” This was a very good experience and very cool to meet him and be able to spread his word. These were some things that I learned about when we saw Chester Nez and the things I want to share with all of you.

Chester Nez - Navajo Code Talker

"I am very happy to say that I have done my duty for our country"- Chester Nez. Chester grew up in a very small community in New Mexico, where if he spoke Navajo in public he would be punished. That is why when he and the other 29 chosen Navajo speakers were surprised when they were asked to create an unbreakable code using Navajo for World War 2. They first created the alphabet which they based off animals from English and translated into Navajo. To be able to be a code talker you had to be able to speak under pressure, speak well English and Navajo, and had to be able to remember things perfectly.  If we took the time to think about what they had to do to create the code, I think we would be surprised at how it was done. Besides looking through their eyes, it was also a huge turning point for Chester's life. It was a turning point because it made him very well known and if he wasn't asked to come up with the code, he wouldn't be known very well. Another thing to consider about Chester is how he is similar to Louis Zamperini from the novel Unbroken.  When they were both younger they each had something special about them. Louis was training to be an Olympian and already broke many running records, while;e Chester was a Navajo Indian and spoke Navajo which was rare. At the end of the war Chester was awarded with the Congressional Gold Medal, which was given to the other 28 code talkers but only four were able to show up and accept the award. When Chester was asked how everyone treated each other during his time in the war, he replied by saying that they all treated each other like brothers.

Chester Nez

"I'm very proud and happy to say I've done my duty. I'm very happy about this."
The words of the last living code talker, Chester Nez. This man was capable of many things but what stands out the most is his ability to forgive. Growing up, Chester lived in a Navajo reserve on his grandmas land with his whole family in one tiny little home but he never complained. He went to a boarding school along with many other Navajo boys. From day one they were punished for speaking in their native language. Many of the boys were upset with this but did as they were told. Because Chester was Navajo he was often treated differently. Even if they got something wrong, they would be badly beaten. Kicked, punched, called names, I am very amazed this man could take all of that within' a days work. He is very strong. When a few men from they army came looking for Navajo men to use in the army, Chester knew he should apply. Even though Chester had been treated terribly because he was Navajo, he forgave them and saw this as an opportunity to prove the Navajos were just as good or maybe even better than everybody else. Chester had to forgive the people who treated him poorly to move on in his life, to help our country. Just like Louie Zamperini. Even though both men are very different, they had the same mindset, to leave it behind, and think that the future will be brighter. To this day Chester is still very proud to have done the right thing and served his country. He has proved to us selfish people that Navajo's are important. He taught me how to be proud of who I am. With out Chester and the Navajo code talkers what would are lives be like then, and today? We are very blessed to have had such amazing men fighting for our country, and such courage to do so.

-Julianne Niemi

Chester Nez

Navajo code talker, Chester Nez, was and still is a very important man history. He grew up in Chicilitah, New Mexico on his grandmothers land. He walked almost fifteen miles every day. From these conditions, he became a very physically fit, and sophisticated man. In the late 1930's a turning point in history called the Dust Bowl arrived. This nearly destroyed the Navajo's economy because others believed it happened because their sheep overgrazed the land. As the economy fell, Chester realized he could get away from the disaster by leaving home and going into the Marines. He would become a Code Talker. This code had to be so secret from everyone, most importantly the Japanese. The major battles in World War two that he was involved in were, Battle of Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, Peleiu, and Ahgalar. As he got out of war, he was very proud to say that him and his fellow Navajo's kept their code secret. It was a very difficult task to complete but they pushed through.  Through Chester's eyes, he felt his time in battle was very successful and he wouldn't trade anything for it. He established relationships with other Marines, and even called him his brothers. He reflected on the fact  that his country may not have treated him well, but he was still very proud to serve it. Not only did he feel and do those things, but he learned so much from the war, and others around him. He said that the greatest challenge was establishing, developing, and keeping the code a secret. One of the many quotes from Chester was, " I am very happy, and proud to serve my country." We should all reflect and learn from Chester Nez, and his words.

Grace Zellner

Chester Nez

    Throughout World War II the Japanese found a way to crack every code the U.S military used. This was until the U.S military recruited the Navajo people to come up with a code that no one could crack. “ I am very proud and happy to say I have spent my time with the U.S military as a code talker” said by Chester Nez proves that the thirty code talkers chosen had a once in a lifetime chance that helped the U.S win the war, even though one of them quit. I thought that the alphabet that they had to create was very interesting how they used animal names to stand for the letter. For example A was called ant, so the Navajo word for ant was wol-la-chee. Another thing that I thought was amazing was that when a military commander tested them against his communications men, the Navajo men cracked the code in two minutes and it took the commanders men four hours. After reading Unbroken and hearing the story of Louie Zamperini I was able to connect it to Chester Nez the last living code talker. One thing they had in common was that they both made a huge impact in the war and they both had trouble growing up. For Louie being when he was growing up being bullied and getting in trouble and for Chester having all his family’s sheep and hard work ruined by the government.Two thinking like a historian question connections I made were through their eyes and turning point. This is connected to through their eyes because he was there and during the presentation we got to feel what it was like to be a Navajo code talker. Also this is a turning point because without the Navajo code talkers the Japanese could of cracked more of our codes resulting in loss of the war.

Chester Nez

      "I am very proud to have been able to serve this fine country." This was one of the many things that we heard Chester Nez say when we went to hear him talk. Nez grew up in New Mexico. Being a Navajo Indian, it was hard. If they even spoke one word of their native language in school, they would be beaten and hit. The teachers forced them to speak English in school, but when they went home they spoke Navajo. This made them have perfect speech in both languages, which was proven to be very helpful later on. 

        After Pearl Harbor was bombed, US Marine Officials gathered all of the Navajo Indians without telling them what they were doing. They then were sent through boot camp and Marine training, which they all excelled at. After they were completed with their training, they were told what they were there for. A secret mission. The Japanese had cracked every single code that the Americans had tried, so they could hear their plans and could always be one step ahead. They needed the Navajos to make up a new code that nobody could figure out, not even other Navajos. So the Navajo men deciphered a new code. They did it by taking an animal that started with that letter of the alphabet in English. and translating that to Navajo. So, Ant = A and so on. Before the Navajos, the Marines could send a message and get a reply in 4 hours. The Navajos did the same exact message and sent it and got a reply within 2 and a half MINUTES. This was the first ever code that the Japanese never cracked. 

       The story of Chester Nez reminded me of Louis Zamperini because they both put themselves in harms way just to help their country. Also, they were both treated as outcasts in their town. Even when they went home, they were not allowed to talk about the code.
       I think it was really fun to go and listen to Chester Nez because without him, we could have lost the war. It made it even more special that Chester was the last Code Talker. I am privileged to have been able to get this information from a primary source.

Chester Nez

"I am very happy to be a code  talker and to serve my country." Chester Nez is the only original code talker out of 29 during would war two. For Chester Nez growing up was hard because he was part of the Navajo tribe.  He had to go to a white school and was not allowed to speak his native language or he would get beaten. His schoolmates were not much better they picked on him as well. There were 29 other kids like him at his school. One day when he was older some of the American soldiers came to his school looking for him and some of the other Navajo boys. They asked if him and 29 others would volunteer to help with a job. So thirty of them agreed. first they were taken to some basic training to prepare them for the war. After a few weeks of that they were taken to a room and it was there they would get their assignment. When a man walked in they were ready for their assignment. Their assignment was to develop a code that the Japanese could not crack and it was to be written in their own Navajo language.  They were thrilled for many years of being beaten for speaking their language at school they would get to use it and help the Americans win the war. They first had created an alphabet then transferred it to the Navajo language. Then they made up words to stand for commonly used words. Chester is much alike to Louie Zampeini because they were both part of a war and were willing to go through what he had to be loyal to their country.

In Louie’s childhood years, he was a criminal that was constantly stealing items and getting into many fights. Almost no one outside of his family liked him one bit, and he was constantly beat up at school. But once he joined the track team and became popular and more mature, he made friends had a happy life in high school. He thought the bad times were behind him, but he was wrong. After his plane crashed and he was captured by the Japanese, he was sent off to many different Japanese POW camps. All of the camps had one thing in common; they starved and beat the prisoners to death. Many POWs died and all the survivors were scared for life. Louie for one, managed to survive but was scared for life. But there was a turning point in his life, when he meet a priest that told him to forgive the people that have messed up his life. Louie went to Japan and forgave all the POW guards that had beat him, even the Bird, the worst of all the guards. In the 1930’s, the U.S. government came and killed most of Chester’s grandparent’s herd of sheep because they were falsely accused of being the reason for the dust bowl. But instead of holding a grudge for his whole life, he forgave the U.S. and still helped them out majorly in the war. And because he helped out the U.S., they cleared the Navajo’s name and made a big difference in how people thought of Native Americans. “I was very proud to have served my country” was a quote from him. It’s amazing he can say that even though the country he was proud to serve mistreated him badly. One thing that both of them had in common was they both forgave the people that had been mean to them in their lives. They didn’t hold grudges, and because of that they both made big differences in their country.

Chester Nez

Chester is a 92 year old code talker from world war two. He and 38 other men created the Navajo code which was used in the war. this was the only unbroken code that was used against Japan. This code was never written down and cannot be learned. When he was five he had worked on his grandma's farm and herding sheep he was a normal boy until he started school. He was forced not to use his language. So when he got to the army and went through training he was given a mission. He was told to use his language and was puzzled. All of his life he was told not to use it and now he could? With that they were to create a code that was unbreakable. It took them thirteen weeks but it was well worth it. His group fought in many battle and they succeeded greatly. He served in the army for four years and used the code in all four. In the beginning the code was a challenge but it was mastered and was never doubted in the war. It was never used in any other war. "The thing I missed the most was herding sheep in my home town. It was something I always did until the war." said Chester. He also encountered 700 of his sheep being herded into a hole and burned, this was a big turning point in his life because his family had build the herd from a few sheep to a thousand. He was also treated like a normal Human and not classified as a Native American and that he was different because of that. It made him proud to serve America.

"I am so proud and so happy that I helped come up with the code!" said Chester Nez on Tuesday at Wausau East High School. Chester Nez and 28 other men developed the only unbroken code in modern war fare. He is the last of  the original Navajo code talkers of WWII. Chester, like Louie from the book Unbroken, was very proud to have served the country. The events at Pearl Harbor upset Chester very much, so he decided when the Marines came to his school, in Mew Mexico, looking for Navajo Men volunteers, he would join. Even though Chester didn't like how the US government had treated the Navajo people in the past he had been raised to be a warrior and fight for what he loves, and for his land. Having the Navajo code was a turning point in history because up until the code the Japanese could figure out when or what we had planed so we couldn't attack them with out them knowing, but when they couldn't figure out the code we started to when battles because we could sneak up on them. Because of the hard work of Chester and the other 28 men, America won WWII.

D.C. Everest students waiting to hear Chester Nez, the last original Code Talker!

Chester Nez

Chester Nez

By: Hannah Dahlke

92 year old Chester Nez is the last living Navajo code talker of WWII. The 29 original code talkers were the people that created the unbreakable code the U.S. used during WWII. This was a big turning point because Japan cracked every single code that we had used before. These code talkers were recruited off of a Navajo reservation in the states of New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. New Mexico was where Chester had lived before going to create the code. He grew up on his grandmother's farm, herding sheep by the time he was five. The Navajos were used to tough conditions because they had to walk 15-20 miles every day to find green grass for their herd of sheep. Because the Navajo people had to search for green grass everyday, they didn't have any problems sharing with their neighbors. This played a part in the making of the code because they didn't have to argue as much about what should go into the code. Another important detail that went into the making of the code was that the creators had to be fluent in both English and Navajo. The Navajo children that went to the boarding school that Chester went to were bullied because they spoke their native language. Chester forgave the U.S. for that and still wanted to serve for our country. Louie Zamperini, from the story Unbroken, also forgave the U.S. because he was also mistreated, but for being Italian, not Navajo. Chester also claimed, "I am very happy I had a chance to serve our country." With this being said, we can say that Louis and Chester had gone through a lot, but had made it through and accomplished something that they would be proud of for years to come.

Chester Nez

Chester Nez

By: Haley Dahlke

              Chester Nez, now at the age of 92, is the last living of the 29 original Navajo code talkers from WWII. This was a major turning point during the war because the code talkers developed the only code that the Japanese could not break during the war. “I am proud to say I was one of the guys that developed the code,” Chester said as he talked about the succession of the code. I learned that Chester had to go through many hardships going to school as a child, such as being forced to learn a new language and not being allowed to speak his native language. He was quite stubborn to these rules which proved to be helpful as he grew older because it helped him to think under pressure. Chester needed to have a lot of physical and mental strength, and this ability helped him to be successful in the war. I feel that Louis Zamperini and Chester can relate to each other in many different ways including how they each shared their story with the world, and they both needed a lot of strength to get through the war. In conclusion, Chester Nez had been through a lot as a child, but that didn't discourage him. When him and the 28 other Navajo Indians were recruited, they took this as a new opportunity to turn their lives around and accomplish something that they wouldn't be able to do if they stayed on their reserve. They definitely accomplished this when they made this unbreakable code that helped the U.S. win the war. 

Chester Nez and Loyalty

"When I went into the service in San Diego, they told us we had to develop a code in our own native language.  This was the most important thing we did."  The best word to describe Chester Nez is loyal.  Chester grew up on the reservation on his grandmother's land.  His family raised sheep together, however, there wasn't a lot of green grass for them to eat so he'd have to walk 15-20 miles a day to a location that did have it.  As a child he went to boarding school where he and the other Native American children were mistreated for their culture.  They were not allowed to use their Navajo language.  Therefore, they were forced to become fluent in English.  This helped them later on because it made them multilingual and able to receive and send the messages in code.  Another negative factor of boarding school was that their culture's traditions were neglected and not accepted.  Chester was a different person between school and home.  At school it was like "wearing a different face."  Once home, he felt free to be himself.  Despite all of these awful things he endured as a young boy, Chester still answered the call when he heard that the marines needed Navajo for a special mission.  That's what it means to be loyal.  He didn't know what he'd be doing, and all through his life this country hadn't treated him well.  Yet, Chester stayed with his country.  Chester Nez is much like Louie Zamperini in this way.  Both of them were willing to go through hardships and difficulties to remain loyal to their country.  No matter what they had to go through, neither wouldn't leave when needed.  "I'm so happy I changed the war.  I'm glad to say I served my country."

Chester Nez Code Talker

      Chester Nez was a World War II Navajo Marine. He helped create a code language along with 28 other guys. In order to be able to successfully use this language the men had to be able to speak perfect Navajo and English. They also had to be able to think under pressure and be able to memorize and understand the code. The code language was very successful. The 29 men who came up with the language created it so well that the Japanese weren’t able to figure it out. During the presentation Chester said “I’m so proud to say that I’m one of the guys who wrote the code.” Chester also said that he didn’t doubt the code language and it was simple and easy to use. There were no problems. Like Louie in the book Unbroken and other World War II veterans, Chester had to travel to different places for what he did in the war. Some of the places Chester went to were Guadalcanal (3months), Bougainville (6 months), Guam (21 days), Paleiu (2 ½ months), and Anguar (a few days). He served four year in the South Pacific. After the war all of the men who created the code language barely saw each other. The men who knew the code and spoke it were told that they couldn’t tell anyone about the code or what the code was. They couldn’t even tell their families. The code wasn’t even written. Toward the end of the presentation Chester said “I’m very happy to say that I have done my duty for our country.”

Chester Nez

Chester Nez is the last living member of the original code talkers. When Chester was going through grade school he was taught to not speak his native tongue, if he was caught speaking the language he was brought up by, he would be beaten. Chester could not even perform the traditions that was used too. Then when Chester joined the marines as a young man, he was told he would have to use the language that he was beaten for as a boy. He and 27 other men volunteered to come up with an unbreakable code that the Japanese could not break. They first needed to come up with the code because the Japanese were breaking all of the codes they had come up with before. The code didn't take that long to make because the Navajo Indians were taught to share growing up. The men came up with a code that related simple English words to the war item, which they than transferred to the Navajo translation. For example, they called tanks turtles, so they then transferred turtle into their native language of Navajo. After Chester had come back from the war he could not tell his father about his experience in creating the code, which made Chester feel sad. Chester's story is a lot like Louie's from Unbroken because both of them had to face many different types of challenges throughout their entire war career. Louie had the struggle of being trapped in the POW camps while Chester needed to come up and remember a code he had just made and learned. Chester was very honored when he said, "I'm very honored to be one of the original code talkers." Because of what Chester and the original code talkers did they helped the USA to win WWII.

Chester Nez the code talker

"I feel very proud and happy to serve my country." A quote said by the last Navajo Code Talker Chester Nez.  You might be asking your self what is a code talker? Well, I have the answer. The Navajo Code Talkers were used during World War 2 to send codes to the Americans.  One thing about this code though, this was the one code the Japanese never cracked.  There were 30 Navajo's chosen to be the first code talkers.  Although some people didn't like the code it stuck with them.  Being a code talker you weren't allowed to tell anyone the code and you had to be able to think under pressure.  They came up with an alphabet in English then than into Navajo.  The code talkers had to memorize the code because if they had a book that had the codes in it and it fell out if there pocket the Japanese could find it then crack it. Some people came to his grandparents house and set there sheep on fire because there heard was too big.  The codes were a very successful thing that they used in the war. When Chester was in war he missed hoarding sheep a lot.   A historian question is turning point? Yes this was a huge turning point in America's history because with out them we might not have won the war.  Also with there codes we became very strong in the war and unable to beat. Looking through there eyes? If I were a Navajo code talker I would probably not be able to do it because I can't think well under pressure so to imagine how much stress it was to memorize all the codes and to be able to say it is unbelievable. I give a lot of credit to the code talkers. Chester states you are the most important person in the war. That really stood out too me. One way this would relate to Unbroken would be Chester forgave the people in the school that took away the Navajo language he forgave them and also when the people burned his families sheep. He forgave every one of them. All so Louie forgave the people who beaten him at the POW camp and all the people who hurt him. Could you do that? I couldn't.

Chester Nez

Chester Nez is the last surviving code talker from WW2. He was a Navajo Indian code talker and was a very important part of the war. There were 29 code talkers that had to create a code that no one could break because the Japanese were breaking every code. The group of men created a code in 13 weeks along with an alphabet. It was very difficult creating a language that everyone could agree on. During the war the code had to come out perfect and you needed good memory as well. If you messed up in action something bad could happen. Chester and the other code talkers were very important to the war. Chester said, “I am very proud and happy to serve my country.” After the war the 29 code talkers all got gold medals, but only 4 people were alive to receive them including Chester. The medal was given from President Bush.  A connection from the book  Unbroken is Chester and Louie both fought in WW2 and Louie learned how to forgive the Bird just like how Chester forgave all the people that made fun of him. It was a really neat experience to listen to Chester Nez speak. I learned that being a code talker was a very  important part of the war. If it was not for the code talkers our country would probably not be the same. Chester’s life was not easy but he got through all of it. He is a very proud and happy man now. Two questions I have are, “What were the emotions like when you had to translate an important message?” The second is, “Did you ever mess up a message during the war?” It was real neat to listen to Chester talk.

Chester Nez code talker

Chester Nez, a 93 year old code talker said “I’m proud to say we've done our jobs so well” referring to him and the other 29 code speakers including himself.  This brave man was born in New Mexico and grew up in Chichiltah he was only allowed to speak his native language, Navajo, on his families reservations otherwise it was not acceptable in society at that time especially at his boarding school that he attended right before he was requested to help create the language that helped save the freedom that we encounter today. This new way of speaking helped out the military more then anyone could ever understand and it only took these men a total of 13 weeks. He served in the pacific theater during World War II but a lot of these code talkers were needed around the base so most of these men did get rest and recreation also known as R&R in the military which I think would be massively important because of how exhausting the war seems to be. Chester had everything It took to be in the war he was physically tough, cooperative which he inhabited from living on the reservation and having to share a lot more than most people, plus he could think under pressure and think quite quick.  That just proves how determined and ongoing these 29 human beings were to help us out. I believe that Chester and Louis Zamperini from Unbroken are similar because they both endured the hardships of World War II which makes them both very tough men. Both of them both served in the pacific theater, and are very proud of what they've over came because of the freedom it brings to us today. Plus Chester forgave the US and how it treated his people and Louis did the same with the bird when he tortured him and did horrible unspeakable things to him in the POW camps. They both learned to forgive the people who did them wrong.

Chester Nez Code Talker

Chester Nez said "I am so proud to have served my country as a code talker." Chester Nez is a 93 year old man who was born in New Mexico during the time period that Being a Native American wasn't excepted, and Native Americans were punished for speaking their language. One day when Chester was at boarding school the marines came in and asked for a group of Navajo Native Americans to preform a secret mission that they weren't told what it was. Chester Nez was one of the 29 Navajo Native Americans who got excepted into the secret mission the marines offered. The mission was to develop a code that would help America win the World War Two Against Japan. After the code was developed the code talkers were so efficient and successful that they were needed everywhere so that meant that they did not get R& R they would just be moved to another military base where they were needed. Chester served in the pacific theater and did a lot to help our military I am thankful for his service. The code talkers all together provided a great service for our country I am so thankful that they served. Chester Nez is similar to Louie Zamperini from Unbroken Because they both served in World War Two they served their country in the pacific theater. Ideals are something that Chester and Louie have a similar mind set on they both forgave the people that fought against them.

Chester Nez Interview Reflection By Maria Y.

Chester Nez Interview Reflection

Maria Y.

Period 2

Chester Nez grew up on a small farm in New Mexico, herding sheep by age five. Every day, he would walk 15 to 20 miles to find enough green foliage for his herd to eat. At school, he was hit and kicked for speaking his native language, Navajo. But then, World War 2 rolled around and Chester was asked to join the marines for a secret mission. Him and a group of other Navajo Indians were to create a secret code using their native language so that no one, not even the Japanese, could crack it. The men agreed, and in 13 weeks, the U.S. Marines had an unbreakable code, This was a turning point in history because the creation of this code helped the Americans win World War 2. Without it, we surely would have lost. But, the most astonishing part of Chester's experience was the fact the he decided to fight for the same country that had discriminated him because of his race. Nevertheless, he chose to forgive those that had mistreated him, similar to how Louis Zamperini forgave his captors from World War 2 after he was released. Being one of the few people to create the unbreakable code that helped America win the war turned out very well for the Navajo Indian. As Chester puts it ," I am very proud to have been able to serve my country."

Chester Nez

Living in New Mexico Chester Nez had a tough life growing up having to take his family's sheep 20 miles just to get grass. Also having to live in a very tiny house until ten years old. Also getting punished in Kindergarten for speaking his own language Navajo. Chester like Louie Zamperini in the story we just read Unbroken both had a tough childhood. Now Chester Nez at 93 years old he is the only one left of the original 29 code talkers. When Chester was in teens he enlisted as a marine like 30 other Navajo's in New Mexico. World War II was a huge turning point in Chester's life because it made him famous. It made him famous when he was told to make a code that the Japanese wouldn't break from his Navajo language. It took him and the other 28 Navajo people 13 weeks to make this code which was never broken. They used simple objects and translated them into Navajo to create an alphabet. Through the eyes of Chester this was amazing to be one of the 29 code talkers which he said "I am very proud to be one of the code talker men." Chester served 40yrs in the south pacific. Back in 2001 then the code talkers all got congressional gold medals but there was only four of them alive including Chester.

               “I’m very proud to be a marine” said Chester Nez at Wausau East High School November 12, 2013.  Chester and the rest of his family lived on the Navajo Indian reserve with his Grandmother.  They had a very small house but no one complained.  They herded sheep for a living.  Chester went to a boarding school with the other Navajo Indian boys.  While at school they were all punished for speaking their native language.    A lot of the boys were very upset about this but they all listened to what they were told to do.  One day when men from the army came looking for Navajo men to help out in the military Chester decided to sign up.  He knew it was a way to help out his family.  In total 30 Navajo men signed up to help out.  Not one of them knew what they were doing until they got to the military bases and learned that they were making a code to help the American’s  beat the Japanese.   In signing up Chester forgave all of those who had hurt him to help a country that didn’t accept his language and who punished them for speaking it.   This is exactly what Louie Zamperinie did when he decided to forgive the bird who had hurt him for a long time.  Forgiving people takes a lot of courage and will power because you have to say that what those people did to you is okay and that you don’t hold anything against them.  Chester knows that he did the right thing by forgiving those who treated him badly.  To this day Chester is very proud of what he did when he was a marine, but what would have happened to us if the Japanese broke our code again?  We are all very lucky that the Japanese didn’t break our code because if they did we probably wouldn’t have the freedom we have today.

Chester Nez

"I'm very proud and happy to say I've done my duty. I'm very happy about this" these our the words of the last living code talker, Chester Nez. Chester Nez was capable of many things but what stands out the most is his ability to forgive. Growing up, Chester lived in a Navajo reserve on his grandmas land with his whole family in one tiny little home but he never complained. He went to a boarding school along with many other Navajo boys. From day one of school they were punished for speaking in their native tongue. Many of the boys were upset with this but did as they were told. Because Chester was Navajo he was often treated differently. When a few men from they army came to his school looking for Navajo men to use in the army Cheste knew he had to aply. Even though Chester had been treated poorly because he was Navajo he forgave everyone and saw this as a chance to prove the Navajos were just like everyone else. Chester had to forgive the people who treated him poorly to move on in his life just like Louie Zamperinie. Even though both men are very different they had the same challenges in life and both overcame them. To this day Chester is still very proud to have done the right thing and served his country. With out Chester and the Navajo code talkers what would are lives be like? We are very blessed to have had such amazing men fighting for our country.

Chester Nez

 "...I am so happy and so proud to have served my country in WWII..." said Chester Nez the last alive original code talker from Second World War. Chester was one of the 29 Navajo men chosen to create a code for the US military. We learned the code is known to be the only code in modern warfare to be unbroken. It took only 13 weeks for the young men to create this code, and it was very efficient. A message that would take others four hours to convert took the Navajo code talkers under three minutes. The code talkers had to remain silent and secretive even after returning from the war. Nez was unable to tell his dying father that he had been a code talker. The young Navajo men were ideal for the job for many reasons. In the reserve everybody worked together so while making the code they listened well and respected each other’s opinion.

In the beginning of the presentation Judith Avila, author of the book Code Talker: The First and only Memoir by One of the Original Code talkers, asked us to leave our identity’s and pretend to be in the mind of Chester Nez as a young man. It was amazing to see through his perspective. One connection I made during the presentation is that similar to Louie Zamperini, Nez was also stationed in the Asian Theater. Seeing the presentation was truly a great historical learning opportunity that I will never forget!

   “I’m so happy I got to serve my country as a code talker.” Chester Nez said on November 11, 2013 at Wausau East High School. Chester Nez is 93 year old man that could be considered a great hero for America. Nez was one of only the 29 men that helped create the code for Americans during WWII and fought on the islands of Guadalcanal, Bougainvillea, Guam, Peleliu, and Angaur. He fought on the islands anywhere from six months to two weeks. Only a couple of men spoke and created this language. They created a code that was the only code that wasn't broken in World War ll. These code talkers served four years in the Pacific talking to each other in this language that no one could crack. The Americans were having trouble coming up with a code that the Japanese couldn’t break, so just a couple Navajo men became the people that changed things in the war. The reason the Americans thought that the Navajo language would be perfect is because it was never written down and you needed to know the Navajo language very well to be able to talk and understand it. Which is why it is the only unbroken code in World War ll. Nez had a tough life growing up on the Navajo reservation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ever since he was five, he herded sheep with his family. He learned to get along very good with people because the Navajos came across many struggles when it came to getting supplies for their families and also their animals.  During the presentation he said that he missed herding sheep the most when he was away at war. A connection between Louie Zamperini and Chester Nez is they both knew how to forgive people from the past. Louie forgave the Japanese prisoner guards from the POW camps and Chester Nez forgave the American government after they were very cruel to Nez because of the color of his skin and because the government killed 1/2 of his family's sheep. The few Navajos that created the language used in the was had a huge impact about being able to communicate without the Japanese knowing. They were the ones that changed it all for the Americas.

Chester Nez- An American Hero

   “I’m so happy I got to serve my country as a code talker.” Chester Nez said on November 11, 2013 at Wausau East High School. Chester Nez is 93 year old man that could be considered an American hero. Nez was of 29 Navajo men that helped create the code for Americans during WWII. These code talkers served four years in the Pacific talking to each other in this very secret code. Chester fought on Guadalcanal, Bougainvillea, Guam, Peleliu, and Angaur Islands. The Americans were having trouble coming up with a code that the Japanese couldn’t break. After trying about everything, the Americans asked for the Navajos help. The reason the Americans thought that the Navajo language would be perfect is because it was never written down. Which is why it is the only unbroken code in modern warfare. Nez grew up on the Navajo reservation. From the age of five he herded sheep with his family. During the presentation he said that he missed herding sheep the most when away at war. A connection between Louie Zamperini and Chester Nez is they both know how to forgive. Louie forgave the Japanese prisoner guards from the POW camps and Chester Nez forgave the American government after they killed about half of his grandparents sheep. In the past people didn’t allow the Navajo to speak their language but now we look back on that and see how foolish that was of us considering their language helped us win the war against the Japanese.

Chester Nez

Chester Nez

" I am so happy that I got to serve our country as a code talker. " were the words of Chester Nez. He repeatedly said these words over and over which shows that the war, really made an impact on him. A turning point in his life would be when he was at boarding school and the "teachers" had forbade Chester on talking his native language which was the Navajo language, then, when the war came, they had him enlisted. Once he and 29 other men had developed the Navajo language, they had used this language in battles in such places like Guam, Peleliu (bloodiest battle), and Angaur. Just like how Louie was dropping bombs everywhere during the war. He had served 40 years and was very proud of what he had accomplished. Going to the presentation was a huge turning point for me, not only the presentation, but the whole unit, really changed my perspective. Honestly, I thought that World War II was between the US and Germany, what I didn’t know was that the Japanese was involved. Now that I know that, I am extremely thankful that Chester Nez was there when we needed him. When it came to comparing Chester Nez with Louie Zamperini, I realized that they had a few things in common like having forgiveness as a priority. Because of the Navajo language, we won World War II.

Chester Nez Reflection Paragraph

      The Navajo Code-Talker project helped the U.S. communicate fast and without worry of the enemy deciphering their plans. They took thirty Navajo Native American men and, after basic marine core training, told them to put together an unbreakable code to be used to communicate in the Pacific theater of the war. The last living Code-Talker, Chester Nez, shared his information about the experience.
      Because the Navajo Code-Talkers had such tough, young lives, they were prepared for the tough marine work. Even though the training was harsh, the hard work that they have been doing since age five, like walking around fifteen miles, or more, a day to reach green grass to feed their sheep, helped them out in the situation.
      Their work was also a major improvement to the previous Code-Talk system. What message were normally sent and replied to in four hours, took them around two and a half minutes. The code was so simple if you knew what to look for, yet so complex in its idea that it was near impossible to decode for those who did not know it.
      The code that they used took a Navajo word, translated it into English, found the first letter of the English word, and that was the letter that was sent. Certain words that would be used more often, like fighter plane, would have an indirect translation to a word, rather than have been spelled out. This type of code was used to save time.
      Chester Nez stated "I served four years in the Pacific," just as Louie Zamperini, a WWII air force fighter and Olympic competitor,  also fought in the Pacific theater.

Chester Nez

     Chester is one of 29 people who helped the United States win the War because of contribution in the  Navaho Code talkers of World War Two, and even though it may seem shocking Chester is the last living Navaho Code talker from world War 2. A Quote that I to from his presentation was " I'm very proud to say that I was part of the 29 men who invented the Navaho Code, and I'm also proud to say that I served my country." I think that his presentation was very informative because we learned about him as a little boy and how he chose to help the United States even though they didn't know what they were signing up for, then You got to listen to the part when he was in the War over by Japan. One thinking like a Historian question I have is Would we most likely have lost the war if the  United States did not have the Navaho Code because they never tried to make a code that was Unbreakable. The second thinking like a historian question I have is What would have happened if Japan secretly found out about the code and made us believe they didn't know what we were saying but then they attacked us because they knew our plans, Would the war have been longer and who would win the war then? A connection to the book Unbroken and Chester Nez is that they both forgave people like Louie forgave the Japanese that had beaten him and made them feel like dirt, and Chester was treated badly by the United states because of his religion and type of person he was but when they asked if they would help he was one of the first to sign up to do the Unknown. 

The Story of Chester Nez

He was just a normal Navajo Native American in high school. But in one day that all changed. Chester Nez is the last living code talker. He is 93 years old and he is from New Mexico. There was at first 29, but now he is the only one left. Those first initial 29, had the enormous task of creating a code no one could ever solve. It involved their native language, Navajo. When Chester was a kid, he would get beat for speaking Navajo, but now he is being asked to speak it and teach it to help stop the Japanese. The Japanese had cracked every code America had, so they needed Chester and other Navajos like him to help. It took the 29 young men 13 weeks to create a code! What they came up with was for the letter "a" they used ant but spoken in Navajo. Which is Wol-la-chee. So the letter "a" in code was Wol-la-chee. But of course to spell something out in the Navajo code would take forever. So Chester's group had other words to translate important military terms. Chester served in five battles during World War II. Chester wasn't able to tell anyone about the code. The marines and the army didn't want anyone to know and have it leak out. Just imagine, you came up with an amazing code that no one could break, but you can't tell anyone. Not even your own parents. He wanted to tell his parents so bad. But he didn't tell, he kept his promise. In comparison to Louie form Unbroken, they both served their country, but in very different ways. They both had hardships throughout their life as well. Chester said, "I am very proud and very happy for what I did." He should be!

The last living Navajo Codetalker: Chester Nez

There are multiple connections between  Louie Zamperini and Chester Nez. Both of these men were a part of World War Two. Both fought in the Pacific Theater and both are alive today and have shared their stories with the world, but the connection between these two is much deeper. To understand this connection we have to go back into both of their lives. In their childhoods the men both learned skills that would help them their during there service. Louie was quick and strong minded which helped him while he was in the POW camp; while Chester learned to become physically strong. By the age of five Chester was herding sheep and would walk at least 15 miles a day to get grazing grass for his herd. When Chester went to boarding school he learned English which allowed him to be bilingual and be able to write the code using more than one language. At home he learned from his family the traditions and the language of his native Navajo people on the reservation in which he lived on in New Mexico. Louie too learned from his family. Pete, Louie's brother, taught him to be respectful so he would be saved from the current eugenics movement going on in the country. Chester as a Navajo Indian has a great respect and knowledge for his culture which helped him in the long run when he created the code. Both of the men were very proud to have served their country and no matter that they were persecuted: Chester for being a Navajo and Louie for being Italian. During his presentation Chester Nez mentioned both of these things by saying: " I am very proud and happy to have been part of this experience. Even though in school I wasn't treated with respect, I am still proud to I say that I have served this country because it is my country." And Louie has showed his pride in his service and country by running the torch in the Olympics and by starting up a program to help unprivileged boys in our country. In conclusion, Louie and Chester have a connection much stronger than just fighting in World War Two, they have a deeper connection that can never be broken which is the pride and respect they have for the military and for their country.

The Forgivness of Chester Nez

Forgiveness!  This is something that is done to help the guilt of another, giving you the strength to let go of the past.  I believe that this was the lesson that was learned during our trip to meet Chester Nez, the World War II cold talker.  Growing up, Chester’s life was anything but easy.  This was taught to Chester at a young age during boarding school.  The boarding school believed that is was wrong for Chester to speak his native language so the school punished him severely for it.  I find this very ironic because later in his life, he received a gold medal, from the president himself for his hard work as a code talker, but I’m getting ahead of myself.  When Chester was about halfway through his treacherous years in boarding school, he was taken from his home in New Mexico to a Marine camp without a word to his parents about the journey.  Upon reaching the camp, Chester, and twenty-nine other men, were given a secret mission.  Make a secret code.  Now I’m not talking about your everyday ordinary code, I’m talking about a code so secret and so difficult that not even the world’s smartest men can crack it.  Chester and the other 29 men were up to the challenge.  They came up with the only code, in all of World War II that was never cracked.  As Chester said, “I am very proud to say that I was one of the 29 who developed the code.”  After this, the code was put into action.  It was used in battles such as the Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, and Peleliu, the bloodiest battle of the war.  This code is considered to be one of the main reasons that America won this war.  If, it weren’t for Chester and the code talkers, we might not be the country we are today.  This is true for everyone who participated in World War II or any war for that matter.  So always remember, feel proud to thank and veteran when you see them.