In 1982 President Reagan designated August 14th as National Navajo Code Talkers Day. The World War II story of these men and their military service is a fascinating one:
 

It is a great American story that is still largely unknown—the story of a group of young Navajo men who answered the call of duty, who performed a service no one else could, and in the process became great warriors and patriots. Their unbreakable code saved thousands of lives and helped end WWII.

 
More than 400 Navajo men served with the U.S. Marines in the Pacific theater sending radio messages between command posts and front lines. The code they helped develop, based on the Navajo language, was never broken by the Japanese. The code talkers returned home sworn to secrecy until 1968, when the government declassified the code 23 years after the war ended.
 
This past Wednesday, DNVA (Department of Navajo Veterans Affairs) President Ben Shelly issued a proclamation naming Aug. 14-19 as Navajo Nation Code Talker’s Week:

“In honor of National Navajo Code Talkers Day, I ask all Americans to join us in commemorating our Navajo Code Talkers, by taking a moment to pray for our war heroes and the brave military men and women who protect all our people, our freedom and our land today,”

 
Visit NavajoCodeTalkers.org to learn more about this inspirational episode in American history.