World War II Honoree

Carl Nelson Gorman

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Chinle, Arizona

Honored By

Zonnie Gorman

Relationship

Daughter

A NAVAJO CODE TALKER, UNDERWENT BASIC BOOT CAMP TRAINING AT SAN DIEGO, THE MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT, BEFORE ASSIGNMENT TO THE FIELD SIGNAL BATTALION FOR TRAINING AT CAMP PENDLETON. WHILE AT CAMP PENDLETON, HE RECEIVED TRAINING IN BASIC COMMUNICATION PROCEDURES AND EQUIPMENT. UPON COMPLETION OF TRAINING, HE WAS SENT TO THE PACIFIC FOR ASSIGNMENT TO THE MARINE COMBAT DIVISIONS WHERE HE TRANSMITTED AND RECEIVED MESSAGES BY TELEPHONE AND RADIO IN HIS NATIVE LANGUAGE - A CODE THAT THE JAPANESE NEVER BROKE. IN RECOGNITION OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO AMERICA DURING WORLD WAR II, THE NAVAJO CODE TALKERS WERE AWARDED A CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IN DECEMBER 1981. HE WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL 29 CODE TALKERS WHO DEVELOPED THE CODE AND WAS AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY PRESIDENT BUSH ON JULY 26, 2001.