The Life and Times of the Code Talker

Chester Nez’s memoir was just the beginning. Here are more stories and photos from the last remaining Navajo Code Talker of World War II.

After the publication of his book, Code Talker, Chester Nez reflects on the path that took him to where he is today—from growing up on the New Mexico reservation steeped in the traditions of his Native American ancestors, to his days fighting alongside other Code Talkers, to his hardships and triumphs after the war. Here are stories of his family, then and now, tales of his close relationship to nature and her creatures, accounts of how his life and legacy have changed since publishing his memoir, and a tribute to his fallen friends.

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