Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII

Chester Nez (1921-2014), the author of Code Talker, co-wrote his memoir with journalist Judith Schiess Avila to shed light on a pivotal chapter in Native American and military history. As one of the original 29 Navajo code talkers, Nez played a vital role in developing the unbreakable code that helped secure an Allied victory in World War II.

Chester Nez was born to the Navajo Nation’s Black Sheep Clan (Dibéłizhiní) near Chichiltah, New Mexico. His early education took place in government-run boarding schools, including Fort Defiance, where forced assimilation policies actively suppressed his native language and traditions. Despite these challenges, Nez excelled academically and became fluent in English while maintaining his Navajo language skills—a combination that would prove crucial to his later military service.

During World War II, Nez joined the US Marine Corps and became one of the elite code talkers tasked with creating and using a classified code based on the Navajo language. He and his fellow code talkers continuously worked on enhancing the code, and it was never cracked by enemy forces. It became a cornerstone of Allied success in the Pacific theater.

Following his military work, Nez pursued higher education through the GI Bill.