John Kinsel Sr., Navajo Code Talker From World War II, Dies At 107
John Kinsel Sr., one of the latter Navajo code speakers He, who conveyed important messages using the Navajo language during World War II, has died at the age of 107.
Leaders of the Navajo Nation at Window Rock certain Kinsale died on Saturday. In his honor, Navajo Nation Chief Buu Nygren ordered flags to be flown at half-staff across the reservation until sunset on October 27.
John Kinsel Sr. was one of the only surviving Navajo code talkers
“Mr. Kinsel served as a Marine with courage and dedication, facing enormous danger as a Navajo code talker for the safety and freedom of all,” Mr. Nygren said in a statement Sunday.
With Kinsel’s death, only two Navajo code talkers remain: former Navajo Chief Peter MacDonald and Thomas H. Begay. During the war, the Marines recruited hundreds of Navajo to serve as code talkers, using their then-unwritten language to relay vital military communications.
The Navajo code talkers puzzled Japanese military cryptographers during World War II and participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945, including the battles at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleliu, and Iwo Jima.
They transmitted thousands of impeccable messages about Japanese troop movements, battlefield strategies, and other vital communications, and played a crucial role in the ultimate victory of the war.
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