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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor recognizes and honors
11 the legacy of the Navajo Code Talkers.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 ▸ recognizes and honors the Navajo Code Talkers' legacy for their extraordinary
15 contribution to the nation; and
16 ▸ designates August 14, 2019, as "Navajo Code Talkers Day" in the state of Utah.
17 Special Clauses:
18 None
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20 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
21 WHEREAS, Navajo Code Talkers, from Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, saved
22 thousands of lives and helped win World War II in the Pacific Theater by using a top secret
23 code that used the Navajo language to transmit messages;
24 WHEREAS, the enemy was breaking military codes in use until the Navajo Code was
25 introduced;
26 WHEREAS, during World War II, these modest young Navajo men fashioned from the
27 Navajo language the only military code in modern history that was never broken by an enemy;
28 WHEREAS, armed with special top secret training, these men developed over 600
29 Navajo Code words to transmit the top secret messages;
30 WHEREAS, the Navajo Code Talkers' messages were transmitted to the front lines,
31 beach command posts, command ships, aircraft carriers, battleships, and to all landing units
32 involved in every major invasion in the Pacific during World War II;
33 WHEREAS, Navajo radio operators transmitted the code throughout the dense jungles
34 and exposed beachheads of the Pacific Theater from 1942 to 1945, passing over 800 error-free
35 messages in 48 hours at Iwo Jima alone;
36 WHEREAS, Major Howard Conner, 5th Marine Division signal officer on Iwo Jima
37 landing, said, "were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima";
38 WHEREAS, the bravery and ingenuity of these young Navajo men gave the United
39 States and Allied Forces the upper hand they so desperately needed in the Pacific Theater,
40 hastened the war's end, and assured victory for the United States and its allies;
41 WHEREAS, over a dozen Navajo Code Talkers were killed in action and more than a
42 dozen were wounded;
43 WHEREAS, after 23 years of secrecy, the Navajo Code was declassified in 1968;
44 WHEREAS, the United States Congress and the President, on behalf of United States,
45 honored Navajo Code Talkers with the nation's highest honor, the Congressional Gold and
46 Silver medals, in 2001;
47 WHEREAS, eight of the more than 400 original World War II Navajo Code Talkers are
48 alive today;
49 WHEREAS, the eight surviving Navajo Code Talkers are: Fleming Begaye, Thomas H.
50 Begay, William Brown, John Kinsel, Peter MacDonald Sr., John Pinto, Samuel Sandoval, and
51 Joe Vandever; and
52 WHEREAS, the Navajo Code Talkers leave a legacy of service that continues to inspire
53 others to achieve excellence and instills core values of pride, discipline, and honor:
54 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
55 Governor concurring therein, designates August 14, 2019, as "Utah Navajo Code Talkers Day"
56 in the state of Utah.
57 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor recognize the
58 Navajo Code Talkers' legacy and extraordinary contribution to the nation.
59 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to Fleming
60 Begaye, Thomas H. Begay, William Brown, John Kinsel, Peter MacDonald Sr., John Pinto,
61 Samuel Sandoval, and Joe Vandever.