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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, It is of the upmost importance that we honor those
3who fought and served for the freedom of our nation; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Despite everything Native Americans had endured,
5many of them felt the calling to serve the United States
6military during World War II; many served to protect the land
7on which their people had lived for thousands of years, others
8served out of patriotism, and others served to find
9opportunities for education; and
 
10    WHEREAS, After seeing the success of Choctaws and other
11Native Americans using their native languages as code during
12World War I, the U.S. Marine Corps began recruiting young
13Navajos in 1942 to serve in the Pacific during World War II;
14and
 
15    WHEREAS, Some Navajo Code Talkers enlisted, while others
16were drafted, some even served underage and had to lie about
17their age to join; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Over 400 Navajos were eventually recruited as
19Navajo Code Talkers, undergoing intense training which
20included basic training, extensive training in communications,
21and memorization of the code; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Navajo Code Talkers played an invaluable role
2in defeating the Japanese during World War II by using their
3native language as the code for communications during combat
4operations; and
 
5    WHEREAS, On the battlefield, the work of sending coded
6messages was extremely serious; being able to keep messages
7secret could make the difference between winning and losing a
8battle and affect how many lives were saved or lost; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Navajo Code Talkers did more than speak into a
10radio; they had to know how to operate both wire and radio
11equipment, often carrying it on their backs; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The Navajo Code Talkers were so successful, that
13neither the Japanese army or navy were ever able to crack the
14code, which remained classified until 1968; therefore, be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
16HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
17honor the Navajo military members of World War II and recognize
18the day of August 14, 2018 as being National Navajo Code
19Talkers Day.