On the recordDecember 7, 2011
I thank my colleague from Arizona (Mr. Gosar) for bringing us together tonight as we get a chance to visit and celebrate heroes that are amongst us, whether it's in spirit or body, as we are still so fortunate to have Chester Nez with us, one of the original 29 as well. With me tonight I have a few excerpts of articles that have been written around the country that capture some stories recently in the Fronteras Desk. An author by the name of Laurel Morales captured the story of Chester Nez. It starts like this: ``Growing up in New Mexico, Chester Nez and many of his fellow Navajo were punished for speaking their language.'' You talk about a language as they were pulled away to boarding schools, so many of the young Navajo across the country, and the importance of what they were able to accomplish during World War II. In the words of Major Howard Connor of the 5th Marine Division, he declared that were it not for the Navajos, the marines would never have taken Iwo Jima, and the importance of language and what they were able to accomplish. The article goes on to read that years later, Nez was shocked to learn that he'd been recruited by the marines specifically to devise a code using the same language the government tried to beat out of him. It was extremely ironic. One of the very things they were forbidden to do--speak Navajo--ended up helping us save the war. Mr. Nez goes on to say that he and his fellow Code Talkers first developed an alphabet, as you described, Mr.…
