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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
As is evident by the title, this is an extraordinary memoir by one of the Original 29 Code Talkers (officially, 29--32, by Chester's count because he includes 3 men who helped develop the code). It details Chester's life from his early years in the Checkerboard through his war years and beyond. While the primary focus is on his time in the Marines helping to develop the code and then putting it to use in the Pacific Theater, we learn quite a bit about what it was like for a young Navajo to grow up pre-1940. Of course, life for Native Americans on the reservations was never easy and the forced relocation onto the reservations was a dark period in our history, but Chester considered his home life to be fairly happy until the white men decided to decimate Navajo herds because of over-grazing. Not only did this wipe out the wealth of Navajo families, but since the government used Navajos to enforce the thinning of the herds it also created distrust and sowed division among the people.
It was amazing to read how Chester and the other young Navajo men bravely used the very language that their white school teachers had tried to strip from them to save the country they loved. How they courageously laid their lives on the line for a country that had oppressed and restricted them--and that would never treat them as equals when they weren't wearing the uniform of their country. Heck--the U.S. Army soldiers that Chester was sent to help at one point nearly killed him--accusing him of being a Japanese soldier in a stolen uniform. All because he did not look like the standard G.I. Joe. It was heartening to read that the Marine commanders did recognize their worth...and a number treated their men as equals, regardless of rank. It is a shame that enough of us don't carry that over into everyday life.
Chester tells his story with humor and humility. Others call him and his fellow Code Talkers heroes. He never claims that title for himself, saying that he merely did what he knew he could do--as well as he could do it. He speaks of family and friendship--of all the things that made the fight worth taking up. He tells us of the bravery of others and shows us how important this piece of our shared history was.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
It was amazing to read how Chester and the other young Navajo men bravely used the very language that their white school teachers had tried to strip from them to save the country they loved. How they courageously laid their lives on the line for a country that had oppressed and restricted them--and that would never treat them as equals when they weren't wearing the uniform of their country. Heck--the U.S. Army soldiers that Chester was sent to help at one point nearly killed him--accusing him of being a Japanese soldier in a stolen uniform. All because he did not look like the standard G.I. Joe. It was heartening to read that the Marine commanders did recognize their worth...and a number treated their men as equals, regardless of rank. It is a shame that enough of us don't carry that over into everyday life.
Chester tells his story with humor and humility. Others call him and his fellow Code Talkers heroes. He never claims that title for himself, saying that he merely did what he knew he could do--as well as he could do it. He speaks of family and friendship--of all the things that made the fight worth taking up. He tells us of the bravery of others and shows us how important this piece of our shared history was.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
There are quite a few books about the Navajo code talkers, but this is the first and only memoir by one of the original 29 Marines chosen to be code talkers during World War II. Nez wrote his memoir at 89, passing away 4 years later. While I had heard of the code talkers, I hadn’t seen the movie, Windtalkers, and probably won’t after reading the reviews. It appears to be at odds with Nez’s service experience as one of the film’s themes is discrimation toward the Navajos by their fellow servicemen. However, Nez clearly states that he always felt accepted as an equal by his fellow Marines during active service, and I prefer his version of events. That’s not to say he would be able to walk into a bar or restaurant and be served when he returned to the United States, and he wasn’t even eligible to vote.
The best part of the book is that it isn’t just a book about war, it is Nez’s personal story. It is written in a conversational tone, almost as if he were in the room with you and telling you about his life’s trials and tribulations, and his conflict with his Navajo upbringing, war and life outside the Checkerboard. He begins with growing up in a poor sheepherding family on the Navajo Nation Checkerboard, which he credits for giving him the physical and mental strength to become a Marine. His forced schooling away from his family readies him for being whisked halfway around the world. His ability to speak native Navajo as well as English makes him uniquely qualified for this new position as a code talker.
After the war he is haunted by nightmares, and tells of the Navajo culture’s traditions and rituals used to help him cope. Part of the problem was that the code talkers were classified until 1968, and keeping a secret can be a burden. Yet the patriotism of many of the code talkers, to a country that didn’t recognize them, meant they took their secrets to their graves.
This is the stuff of legends.
https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/
The best part of the book is that it isn’t just a book about war, it is Nez’s personal story. It is written in a conversational tone, almost as if he were in the room with you and telling you about his life’s trials and tribulations, and his conflict with his Navajo upbringing, war and life outside the Checkerboard. He begins with growing up in a poor sheepherding family on the Navajo Nation Checkerboard, which he credits for giving him the physical and mental strength to become a Marine. His forced schooling away from his family readies him for being whisked halfway around the world. His ability to speak native Navajo as well as English makes him uniquely qualified for this new position as a code talker.
After the war he is haunted by nightmares, and tells of the Navajo culture’s traditions and rituals used to help him cope. Part of the problem was that the code talkers were classified until 1968, and keeping a secret can be a burden. Yet the patriotism of many of the code talkers, to a country that didn’t recognize them, meant they took their secrets to their graves.
This is the stuff of legends.
https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Such an important story. I love that they write his whole story not just about the war. Makes the story more full and tells of the beautiful Navajo culture. Truly incredible what these men did.
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced