31 May 2010
Memorial Day 2010
Posted by stephyc under: Uncategorized .
Monday, May 31, 2010 We could only find one Memorial Day event in the Verde Valley and it was at Montezuma Castle National Monument.
They arranged to have one of the remaining “Navajo Code Talkers” come and tell of his experiences during World War 2. He told of his time at Iwo Jima and how each “talker” was assigned a Marine who if anything should happen they were to shoot the “talker” and then himself. The “talkers” could never be captured.
He told us of his 12 children and 100+ grandchildren and how he is 88 years old. He explained how the code worked they would give a Navajo word, translate it into English, and then take the first letter of the English word to make it complete. He said, “We could do in minutes, what it would take hours to do with the technology of that time period.” He emphasized how young he was when he was over there just 19 years old.
For his service during WWII as a “Navajo Code Talker” he was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor. His name is Sgt. Major Dan Akee. Quite an amazingly humble man. It was a pleasure and an honor to meet this fine gentleman. Even when he was getting a picture with our girls he was very grandfatherly with our girls. Lizzi was going to stand next to Nikki and he moved her to his other side. If you look closely he has his hand on Lizzi’s shoulder.
I was very impressed with his family too. Many of his children and grandchildren were there. The ones I had an opportunity to talk with had many kind words to say about their father/grandfather. The young man holding the umbrella is one of his grandchildren and he held it for over an hour without complaining.
Another incredible adventure on our journey through life. Meeting a “Navajo Code Talker” and listening to his stories is a day I won’t soon forget! Another day spent with my wonderful family….
Stephanie Shultz is a wife and mom two little girls in Cottonwood, Arizona. She enjoys photography, hiking, scrapbooking and sight seeing.