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Thirty-eight years ago, President Ronald Reagan designated August 14 National Navajo Code Talkers Day, in honor of the American Indians who joined the Marine Corps in World War II and lent their language to the crypto effort against Japan.

“Equipped with the only foolproof, unbreakable code in the history of warfare, the code talkers confused the enemy with an earful of sounds never before heard by code experts,” Reagan wrote in praise of the Marines. “The dedication and unswerving devotion to duty shown by the men of the Navaho Nation in serving as radio code talkers in the Marine Corps during World War II should serve as a fine example for all Americans.”

To honor Navajo Code Talkers Day, listen to Pfc. Joe Hosteen Kellwood sing the Marines’ Hymn in Navajo