Roy Hawthorne, Navajo Code Talker. USMC.

He walked the 2 mile parade route. Two Navajo Marines are helping him with the last 1/2 mile.

Roy Hawthorne volunteered for military service in 1943. He wanted to join the Navy and go on submarines. However, since he was a Navajo, he was directed into the Marines.

"I wanted to join the silent service," Mr. Hawthorne said. "I had just read Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." They said 'no, all Navajo males are directed to join the Marine Corps.' They were recruiting heavily for code talkers, but we didn't know that."

During the war, Mr. Hawthorne was deployed to Guadalcanal, off the coast of Australia. He was part of the second or third group of code talkers trained. After boot camp and combat training, he went to code school at Camp Pendleton. Only then did he learn what they would be doing.

"It didn't mean a great deal to us, other than that we were in the military service," Mr. Hawthorne said. "That's where we wanted to be."

After the war ended, Mr. Hawthorne was discharged from the military. He was told not to discuss the code with anyone. The code was not declassified until 1968. Mr. Hawthorne rejoined the military in 1950 and served in the Korean War, but not as a code talker. Many of the code talkers did not realize the significance of their service until after the code was declassified.

When asked why it took so long for the code to be declassified, Mr. Hawthorne's initial answer was tinged with humor.

"It gave us adequate time to make up some real good war stories."

"Only when the code was declassified did the enormity of the task that was given to us emerge," he said. "I suppose it made us happy that we were chosen to serve our country in that way."
http://www.afmc.af.mil/news/story_pr...p?id=123231859