Camp Pendleton 'Young Marines' travel to Arizona to honor Navajo Code Talkers
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- A group of Young Marines from Camp Pendleton joined youth and adult volunteers from across the nation earlier this month in a powerful tribute to one of World War II’s most extraordinary groups of heroes — the Navajo Code Talkers.
Fifteen members of the Camp Pendleton Young Marines, a program for boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 18, traveled to Window Rock, Arizona on Aug. 14 to honor and learn from the remaining Navajo Code Talkers and their families. According to officials with the program, they joined 76 fellow Young Marines and volunteers from around the country in a series of commemorative and service events marking National Navajo Code Talkers Day.
The Navajo Code Talkers were a select group of U.S. Marines who used their native language to create a secret code that remained unbroken during World War II. From 1942 to 1945, they were instrumental in U.S. victories across the Pacific, transmitting top-secret battlefield messages by radio and telephone.
The Camp Pendleton Young Marines and their adult leaders spent three days in Window Rock, where they participated in a memorial service, cleaned up Veterans Park and the Navajo Nation Zoo, and visited cultural sites like the Navajo Nation Museum and the Navajo Code Talkers Monument. The group also hiked to Window Rock, the tribal capital’s namesake landmark, in tribute to the fallen heroes.
Those representing Camp Pendleton included: Leonardo Sada, Jaxson Wilson, Isaq Akhlaghi, Emma Villanueva, Emily Villanueva, Alfonso Sampedro, Cristal Ortiz, Logan Montano, Cristian Hench, Alexander Hench, Anabeth Harris, Alexander Harris, William Harris, Diamante Ortiz and Matthew Belcastro.
“Our participating Young Marines were grateful and honored to interact with the remaining Code Talkers, their relatives, and their supporters at Window Rock this week,” said Col. William P. Davis, USMC (Ret), national executive director and CEO of the Young Marines. “The Navajo Code Talkers played a vital role in securing victory during World War II. Their courage and ingenuity not only shortened the war but also highlighted the strength of cultural heritage in service to the nation.”
Each year, on Aug. 14, the Navajo Nation celebrates the Code Talkers’ service and sacrifice. Only two of the original 29 Code Talkers are still alive today. Since 2006, the Young Marines organization has brought youth to Arizona annually (except during the COVID-19 pandemic) to pay tribute to these American heroes and preserve their legacy.
The Young Marines is a national nonprofit program for youth that focuses on leadership, discipline and a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. More information about the Camp Pendleton Young Marines can be found here.
