Bill Text: AZ HCR2026 | 2010 | Forty-ninth Legislature 2nd Regular | Engrossed
Bill Title: Navajo code talkers
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-3)
Status: (Passed) 2010-04-01 - Transmitted to Secretary Of State [HCR2026 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2010-HCR2026-Engrossed.html
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House Engrossed |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Forty-ninth Legislature Second Regular Session 2010
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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 2026 |
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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
acknowledging the navajo code talkers for their substantial contributions to american history and military success.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Whereas, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese Empire attacked Pearl Harbor, and Congress declared war the following day; and
Whereas, the military code, developed by the United States for transmitting messages, had been deciphered by the Japanese and United States intelligence made a search to develop new means to counter the enemy; and
Whereas, the United States government called on the Navajo Nation to support the military effort by recruiting and enlisting 29 Navajo men to serve as Marine Corps Radio Operators. The number of enlistees later increased to over four hundred; and
Whereas, at the time, the Navajos were a people who were discouraged from using their own language; and
Whereas, the Navajo Marine Corps Radio Operators, who became known as the Navajo Code Talkers, developed a code using their language to communicate military messages in the Pacific; and
Whereas, to the enemy's frustration, the code developed by these Native Americans proved to be unbreakable and was used extensively throughout the Pacific theater; and
Whereas, the Navajo language, discouraged in the past, was instrumental in developing the most significant and successful military code of the time. At Iwo Jima alone, Code Talkers passed over 800 error-free messages in a 48‑hour period; and
Whereas, the Navajo Code Talkers were so successful that military commanders credited the Code Talkers' code with saving the lives of countless American soldiers and the successful engagements of the American forces in the battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Okinawa; and
Whereas, following the conclusion of World War II, the United States Department of Defense maintained the secrecy of the Navajo code until it was declassified in 1968. Only then did a realization of the sacrifice and valor of these brave Native Americans emerge from history; and
Whereas, the Navajo Code Talkers' remarkable contribution to this country went unrecognized until 2001 when President George W. Bush awarded the Code Talkers the Congressional Gold Medal; and
Whereas, there were initially more than 400 Navajo Code Talkers, but now fewer than 60 remain, none of whom is under 80 years of age.
Therefore
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring:
1. That the Members recognize the enormous contributions of the Navajo Code Talkers to American history and military success, and support the preservation of the Navajo Code Talkers' remarkable legacy.
2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona transmit copies of this Resolution to the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior, to the President of the Navajo Nation and to each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.
