One of the last remaining Navajo code talkers who helped the United States and its allies win World War II died over the weekend, officials said.
John Kinsel Sr., 107, died Saturday, leaving the Navajo Nation with only two remaining code talkers. Fellow U.S. Marines Thomas Begay and Peter McDonald, both in their 90s.
A longtime resident of Lukachukai, Arizona, near the New Mexico border, Kinsel is an indigenous tribe whose native Diné language helped create codes that allowed the U.S. military to communicate securely during World War II. He was one of about 400 Navajo people. war. America’s enemies never broke the code until they were defeated.
Kinsel enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942 and served with the 9th Regiment and 3rd Division during the battle against the Japanese at Iwo Jima. The code, which Kinsell helped develop, played a key role in ensuring the security of operations conducted by the U.S. military during operations on Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal and Okinawa, the statement announcing Kinsell’s death said. a Navajo Nation news release said.
He told the Guardian in 2015 that for decades no one knew what his mission was during his time in the Marines. “Even the Navajo people didn’t know about it,” Kinsel said at the time.
In an oral history archived at the Library of Congress, Kinsel said he celebrated his return from the Pacific War by sharing a cigarette with his grandfather. “He cried, you know?” Kinsel said of the gesture.
As the Guardian noted, the U.S. military subsequently declassified the Navajo Code Talker project in 1968 and publicly praised Kinsell and his colleagues for their contributions to the victory over Japan and other Axis powers. allowed.
Mr. Kinsel told a Library of Congress oral history researcher that shortly after the project was declassified, the military gave him a Code Talker medallion that he wore around his neck during the conversation. “So that was your first big award?” the interviewer asked.
Kinsel replied, “That’s a big award.”
Today, August 14th of each year is recognized as Navajo Code Talker Day in the United States, and in 2002 they received the Hollywood treatment in the movie “Windtalkers.”
“Beyond his accomplishments as a warrior, (Kinsel) is also a proud Navajo who served his country while upholding the values of his heritage,” Navajo Nation Council Chair Crystalyn Curley said in a news release. He left a mark.” “May his soul rest in peace and may his memory continue to inspire generations to come.”
The news release also included remarks from Navajo Nation Governing Council Delegate Carl Slater, who called Kinsel an “American hero.”
Slater, who heads the Lukachukai community where Kinsel lived, said his “legacy…is honored not only by his service but also by his continued dedication to passing on the story of the Navajo Code Talkers.” It’s characterized,” he said.
Navajo Nation President Boo Nygren said on social media platform X that he learned of Kinsel’s death from his son, Ronald.
A statement attributed to Ronald Kinsel states that what his father and other code talkers accomplished changed the course of history and will be remembered forever.
“He lived a very full and fulfilling life,” Ronald Kinsel said of his father. “And I will continue to tell of his legend and greatness.”
