Enrichment: The Navajo Code Talkers- CKLA Unit 6 Native Americans

They were required to serve longer than other Americans.

They were promised extra land after the war.

They believed it was their duty as U.S. citizens.

They wanted to leave the reservations permanently.

To send secret military messages using Navajo

To repair broken radios

To lead troops into battle

To translate English messages into Spanish

Radios were unreliable and needed backup systems.

Soldiers often forgot their orders.

Armies needed to share plans without the enemy understanding them.

Soldiers needed entertainment during long battles.

It had very few words.

It was only spoken in a few countries around the world.

It used the same alphabet as English.

Its sounds and structure were very different from most other languages.

They mixed English and Navajo in every sentence.

They used descriptive substitute words, such as "tortoise" for tank.

They sent written messages instead of spoken ones.

They created new Navajo words for every English word.

He had never served in the military.

He understood Navajo but had not been trained in the special code.

He did not speak Navajo fluently.

He refused to listen to the recordings.

They did not know radios were being used.

The Navajo language and coded system were extremely difficult to understand without training.

The Allies stopped using radios in battle.

They believed the messages were in English.

The government forgot to record their service.

They served only in minor battles.

The program remained classified and secret until 1969.

They chose not to talk about their jobs.