One of the last remaining Navajo code talkers who helped the United States and its allies win World War II died over the weekend, officials said.
John Kinsel Sr., 107, died Saturday, leaving the Navajo Nation with only two remaining code talkers. Fellow U.S. Marines Thomas Begay and Peter McDonald, both in their 90s.
Kinsel, who lived for many years in Lukachakai, Arizona, near the New Mexico state line, used his native Diné language to help create codes that allowed the U.S. military to communicate securely during World War II. He was a member of the Navajo indigenous people. war. The Allied enemies never broke the code until they were defeated.
Kinsel enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942 and served with the 9th Regiment and 3rd Division during the battle against the Japanese at Iwo Jima. The code, which Kinsel helped develop, was used to ensure the security of U.S. military operations during operations on Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Okinawa, according to a Navajo Nation news release announcing Kinsel’s death. He is said to have played an important role.
He told the Guardian in 2015 that for decades no one knew what his mission was during his time in the Marine Corps. “Even the Navajo people didn't know about it,” Kinsel said at the time.
In an oral history archived at the Library of Congress, Kinsel said he celebrated his return from the war by sharing a cigarette with his grandfather. “He cried, you know?” Kinsel said of the gesture.
As the Guardian noted, the U.S. military subsequently declassified the Navajo Code Talker project in 1968 and publicly praised Kinsell and his colleagues for their contributions to the victory over Japan and other Axis powers. allowed.
Mr. Kinsel told a Library of Congress oral history researcher that shortly after the project was declassified, the military gave him a Code Talker medallion that he wore around his neck during the conversation. “So that was your first big award?” the interviewer asked.
"It's a big award,” Kinsel replied.
Today, August 14th of each year is recognized as Navajo Code Talker Day in the United States, and in 2002 they received the Hollywood treatment in the movie “Windtalkers.”
“Beyond his accomplishments as a warrior, (Kinsel) was also a proud Navajo who upheld the values of his heritage while serving his country,” National Chair Crystalyn Curley said in a news release. Ta. “May his soul rest in peace and may his memory continue to inspire generations to come.”
The news release also included remarks from Navajo Governing Council Delegate Carl Slater, who called Kinsel an “American hero.”
Mr. Slater, president of the Lukachakai community where Kinsel lived, said his “legacy…is honored not only by his service but also by his continued dedication to passing on the story of the Navajo Code Talkers.” It’s characterized,” he said.
Navajo Nation President Boo Nygren said He said on social media platform X that he learned of Kinsel’s death from his son, Ronald.
A statement attributed to Ronald Kinsel states that what his father and other code talkers accomplished changed the course of history and will be remembered forever.
“He lived a very full and fulfilling life,” Ronald Kinsel’s statement said of his father. “And I will continue to tell of his legend and greatness.”
