World War II Honoree

Roy Hawthorne

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Window Rock, Arizona

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE IN 1943. TRAINED IN THE AMERICAN THEATER AT CAMP PENDLETON AT OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA. HE WAS ONE OF ABOUT 300 NAVAJO INDIANS THAT SERVED AS NAVAJO CODE TALKERS, SPEAKING IN THEIR OWN UNWRITTEN NATIVE LANGUAGE TO BAFFLE THE JAPANESE AND PROVIDE THE MARINES SECURE COMMUNICATIONS. THE NAVAJO CODE WAS A COMBINATION OF U.S. MILITARY AND NAVAJO TERMS AND DESCRIPTIONS, NATIVE AMERICAN TONES AND DIALECTS, AND INFORMAL SHORT-CUT CODE WORDS. A CODE BOOK WAS DEVELOPED AND USED TO TRAIN NEW CODE TALKERS AND FOR STANDARDIZATION PURPOSES. THE COMPLEX CODE WAS NEVER BROKEN BY THE JAPANESE AND WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN COMMUNICATING SECURE CRITICAL MESSAGES DURING THE HEAT OF BATTLE. THEIR CODE-TALKING WAS A KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF NUMEROUS COMBAT OPERATIONS AND ENGAGEMENTS. SERVED AS A NAVAJO CODE TALKER OVERSEAS IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER DURING THE WAR. AWARDED THE AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. HONORABLY DISCHARGED IN 1945 AND ISSUED THE WWII HONORABLE DISCHARGE LAPEL PIN.