Arizona Mourns One of Its Greatest Military Heros

World War II was arguably the most important conflict in modern history. It was about as close to a fictional story as you could get. Massive evil empire trying to take over the world? Check. Ragtag team of heroes looking to bring justice back? Yup.

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There's one aspect of the conflict that's often overlooked, but we literally couldn't have won the war without it. Arizona sits at the center of it.

What Were Navajo Code Talkers?

As the war in Europe raged on in the mid-1940s, a new front was opening: The Pacific. The imperial Japanese army posed a massive threat to US security after the events of the Pearl Harbor bombing. So, in 1942, the US Marines recruited 29 men from the Navajo nation to develop an unbreakable code, one that would help them stay one step ahead of the Axis.

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Since the Navajo language was not yet written down, it was almost unintelligible to any outsiders. This made their language perfect for a code no one would hope to crack. The Code Talkers began operation, broadcasting everywhere from Iwo Jima to Tarawa, and became an integral part of the Pacific operation.

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Who Was John Kinsel Sr.?

On October 20th, 2024, a man named John Kinsel Sr. passed away. At 107 years old, he was one of the most important men to ever live in Arizona. In 1942, he was recruited by the Marines, and became a code talker. He served with the 9th Marine Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division in the Battle of Iwo Jima.

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According to military leaders, Code Talkers were critical to the missions success, and Kinsel was a part of that. By the end of the war, the code still had not been broken, and the Navajo returned home as heroes. With Kinsel's death, only two of the original Code Talkers remain alive.

Now, Code Talkers have their own holiday, on August 14th, as put into law by Ronald Regan in 1982, 40 years after the Navajo mission began.

[AP][US Intelligence][CIA][caltso4life via YouTube]

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