World War II Database

In WW2, the United States Marine Corps used Native Americans for tactical communications. With Native American languages already being an infrequently-spoken language, the United States Marine Corps (USMC) Native American code talkers further secured the communications by devising code words in the native languages, thus achieving a code-within-a-code system. Author Ed Gilbert's Native American Code Talker in World War II was an attempt to introduce readers to this fascinating part of WW2 history.

Gilbert wrote the book in a very organized manner, taking the reader through the topics along a rough timeline chronologically. Details of enlistment, training, equipment, and campaigns were all well presented. The book also made clear Gilbert's efforts in researching the Native American religious beliefs and Native American culture, with several anecdotes reflecting the Native Americans' unique experience in the USMC. Some words were also dedicated to the code talkers after the war, particularly regarding to the declassification of this method of communication in 1969 and the subsequent honors bestowed upon the veterans.

The majority of the book focused on members of the Navajo tribe, but the use of Comanche code talkers by the USMC was also mentioned.

Gilbert's background as a retired Marine allowed him to portray the Native American code talkers not only as specialists in the Marine Corps but also as members of a special breed of warriors that only a fellow Marine would have the insight to understand. His writing was also aided by first-hand narratives of veterans, but his use of four fictional characters was somewhat unorthodox and was slightly bordering on being annoying for this reader, always trying to remember if the character in question was one of the fictional characters or a real person.

When Hollywood presented the film "Windtalkers", it generated a lot of interest on this topic. This book would be an excellent companion to those who enjoyed the film, as one could never trust Hollywood to present history with a satisfactory degree of accuracy. The notion of a Marine ordered to kill a fellow Marine to prevent the capture of the code talker, for example, was absurd. Native American Code Talker in World War II is a great resource to learn more about the code talkers.

Additional note, 3 Jul 2012: Code Talker, the biography of Chester Nez, is another good title to learn more about the topic of the Navajo code.

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