Why we serve: Native American witnesses to WW2

Comanche code talker Charles Chibitty was one of many Native Americans who used their languages to communicate secret messages that helped the Allies win World War II. Lumbee tribal citizen Jesse Oxendine was also part of the 82nd Airborne division that encountered Nazi atrocities when they liberated the Wöbbelin concentration camp. 

Listen to Dr. Edna Friedberg, historian at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum with special guest Alexandra Harris, Co-curator of the exhibit and Co-author of the book "Why We Serve: Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces" of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

 

Throughout World War II, in the conflict fought against Japan, Navajo code talkers were a crucial part of the U.S. effort, sending messages back and forth in an unbreakable code that used their native language. 

They braved some of the heaviest fighting of the war, and with their code, they saved countless American lives. Yet their story remained classified for more than twenty years. 

But now Joseph Bruchac brings their stories to life for young adults through the riveting fictional tale of Ned Begay, a sixteen-year-old Navajo boy who becomes a code talker. 

His grueling journey is eye-opening and inspiring. This deeply affecting novel honors all of those young men, like Ned, who dared to serve, and it honors the culture and language of the Navajo Indians.