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