Becky Long • Progress National Executive Committee member, David Shore talks about the service and sacrifices members of our military have made and continue to make.
By Becky Long
Publisher
On Friday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day was marked with a ceremony featuring keynote speaker and National Executive Committee member, David Shore who underscored the importance of service to country. He also honored World War II unsung heroes, the Navajo Code Talkers.
“Whatever you did is great,” Shore said to veterans. “Ronald Reagan once said, ‘Some people go through their entire life wondering if they made a difference,’ —my friends you do not have to wonder.”
Shore went on to focus on the importance of the Navajo Code Talkers during World War II, noting they were so vital in the war, they were assigned escorts.
Code talkers used their traditional language to transmit secret Allied messages in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
The idea of using American Indians who were fluent in both their traditional tribal language and in English to send secret messages in battle was first put to the test in World War I. However, it wasn’t until World War II that the U.S. military developed a specific policy to recruit and train American Indian speakers to become code talkers, according to the National WWII Museum.
The Navajo created a dictionary which eventually expanded to 411 words for military terms and names that didn’t originally exist in their language. For example, there was no existing word for submarine in Navajo, so code talkers used the term “besh-lo” which translated to “iron fish.”
“The Navajo assisted the Marines in the Pacific — had it not been for them, we may not have won the war, especially Iwo Jima. Over 200 participated,” Shore said.
There were 14 other Native nations, including the Cherokee and Comanche, that served in both the Pacific and Europe during the war, according to the National WWII Museum.
In conclusion, Shore reminded everyone that it is important for Americans to come together. “If you are American and love this country we have to stick together. It’s up to us to keep our nation strong and prosperous,” he said.
In addition to Shore’s talk, the Color Guard posted the flags and veterans American Legion Commander Robert Seibert asked veterans from all branches to stand for recognition, including the newest one, Space Force which includes two Clay County military members, Jacob Nicholson and Alex Cox.
Despite the chilly, mist of rain that forced the ceremony to be held under a large tent a good-size crowd attended the event at Veterans Park. Veterans and their families enjoyed a luncheon afterwards.