0:01 we're looking at a rocky Bluff near the
0:03 area of the Navajo call the center of
0:06 the world how important is it for you to
0:08 get that museum built up there very
0:12 important not just to me but to the 400
0:17 plus who serve were certified as Navajo
0:20 Co talkers there's three of us still
0:23 alive we want to see that museum put up
0:28 before we are gone
0:30 Navajo code talkers young marine
0:33 volunteers whose language was invaluable
0:36 to the core in World War II each
0:38 division had at least 80 Navajo Co
0:42 talkers that enemy would not understand
0:44 will never understand what in the world
0:47 is being planned among them 94-year-old
0:50 Peter McDonald who lied about his age
0:52 and enlisted at
0:54 15 in the thick of the action on island
0:57 assault after Island assault the Nava
1:00 code talkers radioed back critical
1:02 information in their native tongue we
1:04 never knew there was such a thing as
1:07 tanks or Battleship Cruisers Destroyer
1:11 aircraft carrier so we named those
1:15 differently than any other thing like a
1:18 battleship lots of big fish big fish
1:23 aircraft
1:25 carrier one that carry birds
1:28 around this looks like you in uniform in
1:30 your Marine Corps uniform right
1:32 ingenious the code unbreakable but was
1:35 at first rejected by Marine top brass
1:39 comant also said we don't know NE who we
1:43 don't know who they
1:44 are they may now qualify for to be to be
1:49 a marine and we don't want anyone where
1:53 now stays Marine Corps uniform that
1:56 might embarrass this proud organization
1:59 so forget it but after a test he said we
2:03 don't understand it either but it
2:06 works send us some more navajos navajos
2:10 who' been forced to attend strict
2:11 boarding schools whose purpose was to
2:14 strip them of their Heritage their
2:16 Spirit you went to Indian school when
2:18 you were small and did they punish you
2:22 for speaking your language absolutely I
2:26 went to
2:27 Shiprock boarding school run by the
2:30 Bureau of Indian
2:32 Affairs I was 9 years old when I was put
2:35 in boarding
2:36 school and uh as soon as we enter the
2:40 gate they tell us in this compound it's
2:45 a fon boarding school you just talk
2:49 English you don't speak Navajo if you
2:52 speak Navajo you get punish the code
2:55 talker success a cruel Paradox Peter's
2:58 daughter charity it's very
3:02 moving because it has a lot to do with
3:04 the
3:06 culture what they fought with was our
3:09 culture what they fought with was our
3:12 language the lore their stories passed
3:15 from generation to generation a
3:17 tradition still unbroken to understand
3:21 who we are why how we have our freedom
3:26 Liberty and peace that we all enjoy
3:30 that's the future
3:32 unbroken unbroken code unbroken future
3:36 for the most part their story was not
3:39 told for many many years so it's such a
3:43 relief you know to know that the legacy
3:47 is going to live on this is going to be
3:49 the uh the gateway to the nav Koto
3:53 Museum ran Hawthorne's father the late
3:56 Roy Hawthorne senior was also a code
3:59 talker
4:00 now this Hero's son is doing everything
4:02 he can to make the museum a
4:05 reality his chapter might be closed but
4:09 taking up that mantle and not just me
4:12 but others Our Generation The
4:15 Descendants the sons the daughters it's
4:19 incumbent upon us to tell the story if
4:22 we our generation let this opportunity
4:25 slip by without
4:27 building that Monument that Museum that
4:31 storytelling institution then it'll be
4:35 gone last week the museum officially
4:38 broke ground with ceremony song and
4:41 golden
4:43 shovels the Navajo have collected a tiny
4:46 fraction of the Museum's projected costs
4:49 but Mr McDonald says it is important to
4:52 keep the remarkable story alive for the
4:54 Navajo Nation and for the rest of us you
4:57 know America is a diverse Community we
5:01 are made of all different nationality
5:04 different language different skills
5:06 different talents when it comes to
5:09 saving America saving the liberty and
5:13 peace that we enjoy we need to use all
5:16 those talents that we all possess Harry
5:19 Smith NBC News SE Bonito New Mexico
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