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Storyteller Biography

Members of The Navajo Code Talkers Association: Keith Little and Samuel Smith

An interview with two Navajo Code Talkers of World War II - oral history comes alive

Recently awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, two of the Navajo Code Talkers will tell stories about their experiences during World War II. Peggy A. Bulger, director of the American Folklife Center, will conduct an oral history interview with them in front of the audience. During World War II a special group of Navajos was formed to transmit telephone and radio messages in a special code based on the Navajo language. The complex syntax and complicated tonal qualities of the Navajo language baffled even the most experienced linguists creating a "code" that the other side was never able to break.

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