The First Twenty-Nine: A Microhistory of the Original Pilot Group of Navajo Code Talkers

Author

Zonnie M. GormanFollow

Publication Date

Spring 4-15-2024

Abstract

The Navajo Code Talkers have become an iconic symbol in popular American narrative since their exploits in World War II became public in 1969. Known for employing a unique Navajo language-based code to transmit vital combat messages in the Pacific campaigns, their exploits have become near legendary. Yet, the Navajo Code Talkers would never have existed without the success of a small group of twenty-nine men recruited in the spring of 1942. Known as the First Twenty-Nine, these men were the pilot for this exceptional project. Tasked with creating a viable voice code in the Navajo language, their success established the Navajo Code Talker program. My dissertation, tentatively titled The First Twenty-Nine: A Microhistory of the Original Pilot Group of Navajo Code Talkers, focuses exclusively on the first nine months of the Navajo Code Talker program. It recounts the journey of the pilot group into military service tracing their lives from the pre-World War II Navajo reservation to their recruitment and boot camp experiences, and finally, to the creation of the first Navajo code. A deeper examination of the famous Navajo code pushes back against popular narratives that have oversimplified its makeup and introduces a new way of considering its creation through linguistic and culturally based techniques. As a Diné scholar and daughter of a Navajo Code Talker, I also interrogate other popularly held notions surrounding the original group while restoring the bicultural complexities that shaped Diné manhood in the mid-twentieth century.

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Degree Name

History

Department Name

History

First Committee Member (Chair)

Samuel Truett

Second Committee Member

Margaret Connell-Szasz

Third Committee Member

Holly Guise

Fourth Committee Member

Tiffany N. Floral

Fifth Committee Member

Lloyd L. Lee

Language

English

Keywords

Navajo, code talkers, Marine Corps, World War II, Navajo code, Philip Johnston

Document Type

Dissertation

Recommended Citation

Gorman, Zonnie M.. "The First Twenty-Nine: A Microhistory of the Original Pilot Group of Navajo Code Talkers." (2024). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hist_etds/382