SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 51

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2010

INTRODUCED BY

John Pinto

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING CONGRESS TO SUPPORT AND PRESERVE THE NAVAJO CODE

TALKERS' LEGACY AND SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTION TO THIS COUNTRY.

     WHEREAS, the few living Navajo code talkers are undertaking a multi-year project to build an educational, historical and humanitarian facility that will bring pride to Native American and non-Native American communities alike, educate the young and old and conserve the instruments of freedom gifted to the American people by an awe-inspiring group of young Navajo men during World War II; and

     WHEREAS, during World War II, these modest young Navajo men fashioned from the Navajo language the only unbreakable code in military history; and

     WHEREAS, these Navajo radio operators transmitted the code throughout the dense jungles and exposed beachheads of the Pacific theater from 1942 to 1945, passing over eight hundred error-free messages in forty-eight hours at Iwo Jima alone; and

     WHEREAS, the bravery and ingenuity of these young Navajo men gave the United States and allied forces the upper hand they so desperately needed, finally hastening the war's end and assuring victory for the United States; and

     WHEREAS, after being sworn to secrecy for twenty-three years after the war, these young Navajo men eventually came to be known as Navajo code talkers and were honored by President George W. Bush more than fifty years after the war with congressional gold and silver medals in 2001; and

     WHEREAS, the Navajo code talkers are now in their eighties, and with fewer than fifty remaining from the original four hundred, the urgency to capture and share their stories and memorabilia from their service in the war is now critical; and

     WHEREAS, these American treasures and revered elders of the Navajo Nation have come together to tell their story, one that has never been heard, from their own hearts and in their own words; and

     WHEREAS, the Navajo code talkers' heroic story of an ancient language, valiant people and a decisive victory that changed the path of modern history is the greatest story never told; and

     WHEREAS, the Navajo code talkers ultimately envision a lasting memorial, the Navajo code talkers museum and veterans center, on donated private land; and

     WHEREAS, the Navajo code talkers' mission is to create a place where their legacy of service will inspire others to achieve excellence and instill core values of pride, discipline and honor in all those who visit; and

     WHEREAS, through the lead efforts of the Navajo code talkers foundation and many partners and individuals, the Navajo code talkers' legacy, history, language and code will be preserved to benefit all future generations;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE

STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the United States congress, department of the interior, department of veterans affairs, department of health and human services, department of defense, department of agriculture, department of state and department of energy be requested to support the preservation of the Navajo code talkers' remarkable legacy; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the president pro tempore of the United States senate, the speaker of the United States house of representatives, the secretary of the interior, the secretary of defense, the secretary of veterans affairs, the secretary of health and human services, the secretary of agriculture, the secretary of state, the secretary of energy and the New Mexico congressional delegation.