Members of the elite Navajo Code Talkers, the famed U.S. Marine unit who delivered unbreakable codes during World War II battles against the Japanese, look on before the start of the annual Veterans Day parade November 11, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
OAN Staff James Meyers 8:35 AM – Monday, October 18, 2024
One of the last remaining Navajo Code Talkers, who helped secure an Allied victory in World War II by sending direct messages in code based on the Navajo language during the war, has died.
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John Kinsel, Sr., one of the last remaining Navajo Code Talkers who helped the Allied Forces win World War II, has died. Kinsel’s personal narrative about his service is among those held by the Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library. ➡️ https://t.co/ZiblTnOLGypic.twitter.com/Y5LV8fnu8x
Tributes poured in from family and military members for John Kinsel Sr, who died on Saturday at the age of 107 and was considered a brave and accomplished man.
“On behalf of the entire Navajo Nation, our Navajo veterans and service men and women, First Lady Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren and me, we extend our sincerest condolences and prayers to the family of Mr. Kinsel,” Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren announced on social media.
“Mr. Kinsel was a Marine who bravely and selflessly fought for all of us in the most terrifying circumstances with the greatest responsibility as a Navajo code talker. He fought alongside his brothers in arms, for the U.S. Marine Corps, for the United States and to protect the Navajo Nation in a time of war,” he added.
#RIP John Kinsel Sr. who passed away on Saturday at the age of 107. Kinsel was one of the last of the USMC’s Navajo Code Talkers who used the Diné language to develop an unbreakable code. He enlisted in 1942 and served with the 3rd Marine Division during the Battle of Iwo Jima. pic.twitter.com/djd8zdOVrC
Meanwhile, Nygren ordered all flags on the Navajo Nation be lowered to half staff on Sunday and not be raised for an entire week.
The Navajo Code Talkers were a group of Navajo tribe members who served in the Marines, responsible for transmitting coded messages in their native language that even the most skilled Japanese code breakers couldn’t crack.
Additionally, code talkers transmitted information on troop movements, tactics and orders. They also were involved in every assault the Marines carried out in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945, providing vital information in the takeover of Iwo Jima, according to the U.S. Navy.
The code was based on Navajo, which is a very distinct language, and assigned a Navajo word to English key phrases and military tactics.
“This system enabled the code talkers to translate three lines of English in 20 seconds, not 30 minutes as was common with existing code-breaking machines,” according to intel.gov.
The code had to develop military terms that didn’t exist in Navajo such as “besh-lo,” meaning iron fish for submarine, and “dah-he- tih-hi” meaning hummingbird for fighter plane.
Kinsel’s son, Ronald Kinsel, had revealed he news of his father’s passing with the president saying in a statement:
“Cheii passed early this morning in his sleep,” he said. “The howling wind brought his parents and relatives that came for him early dawn today. He used to keep asking if it snowed yet. He was waiting for the first snow to take his spiritual journey. Moisture lifted his footprints this morning.”
“He lived a very long, full and accomplished life. What he and the other Code Talkers accomplished changed the course of history, and will always be remembered, and I will continue to tell his legend and greatness,” he added.
The Navajo Code Talker was born in Cove, Arizona, he never left his hometown, he attended many ceremonies and events honoring code talkers, and shared stories of his time serving in the war to others, the Navajo Times reported.
After graduating high school, Kinsel enlisted in the Marine Corps in the fall of 1942. From 1943 to 1945, Kinsel served in Iwo Jima, Guam and Bougainville Island in the Pacific.
According to a biography by the Department of Veteran Affairs, Kinsel had a critical role of “coming up with codes and transcribing messages.”
Furthermore, Kinsel received a Purple Heart in 1989 and a Congressional Silver Medal for his service in 2001.
Meanwhile, there are only two surviving Navajo Code Talkers: former Navajo Chairman Peter MacDonald and Thomas H. Begay.
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