Post by Okwes on May 16, 2007 9:54:04 GMT -5
War heroes can talk the talk WWII Navajo code talkers visit Lexington 1
schools to tell their stories By BILL ROBINSON
Tyler Spires slipped into White Knoll High School’s bustling
office Monday intent on meeting two people whose deeds he has heard his
American-Indian grandmother describe in reverential tones. The
strapping 17-year-old senior approached the elderly men, each wearing
Marine Corps-red caps and distinctive turquoise jewelry, and asked
“Are you the Navajo code talkers?” When Keith Little and
Samuel Tso answered yes , Spires told them he is “one-quarter
Navajo.” “It is a real honor to meet you,” he
said. The three talked briefly before Little and Tso were off to another
speaking engagement at Pelion High. The two code talkers had just
completed a 75-minute talk before 250 White Knoll students, who were
given the opportunity to hear first-hand about the exploits of people
admired for their unique role in helping defeat the Japanese during
World War II. Spires’ class did not attend the assembly, so he
made a detour between classes hopingto encounter the visitors White
Knoll principal Jo Mayer pronounced “real life heroes.”
“I wanted to be able to tell my grandmother I actually met a code
talker,” Spires said. “I was really excited. (Their role
in history) is something I have always wanted to learn more
about.” Tso and Little did a whirlwind tour of Lexington 1
schools Monday and were guests at a Lexington High School fundraiser
sponsored by the school district’s foundation. The event saluted
Lexington County’s past and present servicemen and women.
Organizers of the fundraiser arranged for the code talkers to share
their stories of how they joined the U.S. Marines, received special
training and used their unwritten language to befuddle an enemy intent
on intercepting messages exchanged between U.S. troops in the Pacific
theater. Tso was at Iwo Jima when Marines stormed up a hill and raised
an American flag immortalized in an iconic photo. Tso, 84, told students
he knew the ascent was a success when another Navajo transmitted an
encoded message that included the phrase “Sheep’s eye is
cured.” Translation: “Mt. Suribachi is secured.”
Navajos had no alphabet or literature. As a teen attending a federal
government school, Tso said “they wouldn’t even let me
speak my own native language.” When the war began, however, the
federal government recruited Navajos knowing they communicated in a way
that would mystify the enemy. Navajos memorized three alphabets,
translating each into everyday words in their native tongue that, in
turn, yielded confounding communications. Neither Tso nor Little
outwardly harbor any bitterness about the country’s dramatic
reversal in attitude during a time of war. Seniors Andy Schumpert and
Leigh Tyson took note. “They were still willing to help,”
Tyson, 17, said. “They were fighting for their country.”
Added Schumpert, 18: “The United States was trying to end their
culture. And their culture actually helped the United States.”
Little, 82, said, “I hoped the students learned something
�" that the Navajo code talkers did something important.”
schools to tell their stories By BILL ROBINSON
Tyler Spires slipped into White Knoll High School’s bustling
office Monday intent on meeting two people whose deeds he has heard his
American-Indian grandmother describe in reverential tones. The
strapping 17-year-old senior approached the elderly men, each wearing
Marine Corps-red caps and distinctive turquoise jewelry, and asked
“Are you the Navajo code talkers?” When Keith Little and
Samuel Tso answered yes , Spires told them he is “one-quarter
Navajo.” “It is a real honor to meet you,” he
said. The three talked briefly before Little and Tso were off to another
speaking engagement at Pelion High. The two code talkers had just
completed a 75-minute talk before 250 White Knoll students, who were
given the opportunity to hear first-hand about the exploits of people
admired for their unique role in helping defeat the Japanese during
World War II. Spires’ class did not attend the assembly, so he
made a detour between classes hopingto encounter the visitors White
Knoll principal Jo Mayer pronounced “real life heroes.”
“I wanted to be able to tell my grandmother I actually met a code
talker,” Spires said. “I was really excited. (Their role
in history) is something I have always wanted to learn more
about.” Tso and Little did a whirlwind tour of Lexington 1
schools Monday and were guests at a Lexington High School fundraiser
sponsored by the school district’s foundation. The event saluted
Lexington County’s past and present servicemen and women.
Organizers of the fundraiser arranged for the code talkers to share
their stories of how they joined the U.S. Marines, received special
training and used their unwritten language to befuddle an enemy intent
on intercepting messages exchanged between U.S. troops in the Pacific
theater. Tso was at Iwo Jima when Marines stormed up a hill and raised
an American flag immortalized in an iconic photo. Tso, 84, told students
he knew the ascent was a success when another Navajo transmitted an
encoded message that included the phrase “Sheep’s eye is
cured.” Translation: “Mt. Suribachi is secured.”
Navajos had no alphabet or literature. As a teen attending a federal
government school, Tso said “they wouldn’t even let me
speak my own native language.” When the war began, however, the
federal government recruited Navajos knowing they communicated in a way
that would mystify the enemy. Navajos memorized three alphabets,
translating each into everyday words in their native tongue that, in
turn, yielded confounding communications. Neither Tso nor Little
outwardly harbor any bitterness about the country’s dramatic
reversal in attitude during a time of war. Seniors Andy Schumpert and
Leigh Tyson took note. “They were still willing to help,”
Tyson, 17, said. “They were fighting for their country.”
Added Schumpert, 18: “The United States was trying to end their
culture. And their culture actually helped the United States.”
Little, 82, said, “I hoped the students learned something
�" that the Navajo code talkers did something important.”