World War II Honoree

Fleming Begaye, Sr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Chinle, Arizona

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE IN 1943. HE WAS ONE OF ABOUT 300 NAVAJO INDIANS THAT SERVED AS MARINE RADIO OPERATORS AND NAVAJO CODE TALKERS DURING THE WAR. THEY SPOKE 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 IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER DURING THE WAR. PARTICIPATED IN THE BATTLE FOR TARAWA ATOLL IN THE GILBERT ISLANDS IN LATE 1943, AND THE BATTLE FOR TINIAN ISLAND IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS IN JULY, 1944. WOUNDED IN ACTION AND SPENT ABOUT A YEAR IN A NAVAL HOSPITAL RECOVERING FROM HIS WOUNDS. AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. HONORABLY DISCHARGED IN 1945, AND ISSUED THE WWII HONORABLE DISCHARGE LAPEL PIN.