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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Often hard to read because of the brutal descriptions of WWII, this was nevertheless an interesting worthwhile read. Many still do not know that the US military recruited Navajos to develop a code which could be used for communication during WWII. A select group of young Navajos joined the service, and went to battle employing this code, which was used successfully and never decoded.
After the was, the men were not allowed to speak of it for decades until it was declassified. Interestingly, many of them returned from the war to the same racial prejudices that existed before, which surprised them. On the battlefield, there had not been racism.
The author's experience of growing up on a reservation, and the history of his family and his people only reinforced the shame and horror I feel every time I am reminded of the travesty of justice upon which this country is founded.
After the was, the men were not allowed to speak of it for decades until it was declassified. Interestingly, many of them returned from the war to the same racial prejudices that existed before, which surprised them. On the battlefield, there had not been racism.
The author's experience of growing up on a reservation, and the history of his family and his people only reinforced the shame and horror I feel every time I am reminded of the travesty of justice upon which this country is founded.
I enjoyed reading about Chester’s life growing up in the. Checkerboard, Navajo traditions and his experiences in WWII, and after.
This was a great book. It is the memoir of the last living code talker of the original 29 that made up the first all-Navajo marine platoon. The book not only talks about his wartime experiences which were horrendous, but also about the hard life he had lived on the reservation and in boarding school that had helped prepare him mentally and physically to become the Marine he turned out to be. As a child, he had witnessed the devastation of livestock reduction, a government program with the stated purpose of preventing over-grazing of the desolate area many Navajos still call home. It resulted in ruptures in the community and wounded spirits due to its contradiction of everything Navajos believed. He also experienced the cruelty of a boarding school system that sought to erase his language and culture. The irony is that the language they sought to eradicate resulted in the turning point of the war in the Pacific. He used both the English he had learned and the Navajo language he preserved to help develop the unbreakable code based on the Navajo language. Native Americans had only been recognized as American citizens in 1924 and his home state still had not granted them the right to vote. He and his fellow code talkers faced grueling battle conditions on behalf of a nation that still did not accept them as equals. Their mission was so top secret that they were not allowed to tell even fellow marines what they were doing. Their mission remained classified until 1968. Unfortunately, that meant that their contribution remained unknown and some of them gave into despair and alcoholism before they were ever recognized.
This book describes the horror of war and the terrible conditions these men fought in. Their mission was so important that they were not relieved when the 1st division that they had deployed with was finally sent to Australia for R & R. Instead they stayed to fight and support the 2nd division and then the 3rd without a break. Nez's memoir is not, however, the bleak story of someone who saw himself as a victim, but as someone who used all of his experiences and the beauty of his native culture and beliefs to become a survivor and an example to many. I won't enumerate all of his trials and heartaches both before and after the war. That is for other readers to discover. This is the portrait of a man worthy to be called a hero, even though he always felt that he was just doing his duty. This was a book well worth the read. A bonus feature of this book is the inclusion of the original Navajo code at the back of the book
This book describes the horror of war and the terrible conditions these men fought in. Their mission was so important that they were not relieved when the 1st division that they had deployed with was finally sent to Australia for R & R. Instead they stayed to fight and support the 2nd division and then the 3rd without a break. Nez's memoir is not, however, the bleak story of someone who saw himself as a victim, but as someone who used all of his experiences and the beauty of his native culture and beliefs to become a survivor and an example to many. I won't enumerate all of his trials and heartaches both before and after the war. That is for other readers to discover. This is the portrait of a man worthy to be called a hero, even though he always felt that he was just doing his duty. This was a book well worth the read. A bonus feature of this book is the inclusion of the original Navajo code at the back of the book
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Best memoir I’ve read since Unbroken. Not as emotional as that one, but this has a very unique cultural perspective on war and heroism.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
This book was amazing. I remember interviewing my grandfather about his time as a Navajo code talker, as I listened to this audiobook, it was like listening to my grandfather and seeing him with more depth. Great heartfelt story.