who were the navajo code talkers

The Navajo Code Talkers were a group of Native American Marines from the Navajo Nation who developed and used a complex code based on their native language to transmit secret military communications during World War II. The idea was proposed in 1942 by Philip Johnston, who was familiar with the Navajo language. He suggested to the U.S. Marine Corps that Navajo speakers could create an unbreakable code for secure communications. The initial group consisted of 29 Navajo recruits who created a code with over 211 terms that had no direct English translations, including coded words for military concepts like "tank" and "submarine." Their code was used in key battles such as Iwo Jima and was extremely fast and accurate, significantly aiding the U.S. war effort in the Pacific Theater. By the end of World War II, about 400 Navajo soldiers served as Code Talkers. Their work helped the Marines send messages in minutes that would otherwise have taken hours and was never broken by enemies. The code talkers had to keep their work secret for many years after the war.