The call to arms rang out across the land. Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor and from every corner of the nation men and women answered the call.
Stop. Think about those from whom the American dream was often, possibly even universally withheld; those whose heritage disenfranchised them from the words “all men are created equal.” Among them was a young Navajo, Jack Jones. His culture, even his name, was taken from him in the U.S. government’s drive to erase the Native Americans’ ways of life.
Jack could have said this wasn’t his fight. His was a hard life. As a child he was sent to boarding school where he was taught his native language, and all that made him Navajo, was bad. He ran away from home and from boarding school. He rode the rails, accepting the transient life of a hobo to that which awaited him on the reservation. Are you angry, yet? Are you ready to say, ”Jack, don’t go?” His response will surprise you!
Jack, and many other young men of the Navajo nation, answered a very special call to arms. Their language, once reviled, became a secret military code never broken by the enemy. The Code Talkers, as they were known, coordinated combat operations, calling in air strikes and providing other essential battlefield communications. Jack felt honored, even grateful for the chance to help his native language endure and to be an asset to the defense of the country. He held no grudge. He took solace in saving American lives, though he never rejoiced in killing.
History is witness to the Code Talkers’ contributions. Jack Jones’ vision is realized. Oppression was stopped. The Navajo culture and its language continues, now living in a special place of honor and respect.
I hope you will support me (and hundreds of World War 2 enthusiasts and volunteers around the world) in challenging American teens across America, who are interested in military history, to participate in the iHistory Project-WW2. We are committed to preserving these great World War 2 stories and memories and to bringing them to life so future generations will understand and appreciate the events of this conflict and how they shaped our world.
For more information, visit the iHistory Project-WW2 or contact me directly at jeff@ihistoryproject.org.
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