FLAGSTAFF — The City of Flagstaff will celebrate National Navajo Code Talkers Day with an event on Sunday, Aug. 14 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the NACET Conference Room (2201 N. Gemini Rd.). Members of the public are welcome to attend. The event will feature a variety of speakers, including a Navajo Code Talker family member, a Pat Tillman scholar and youth advocates. An honor walk/ run hybrid 2K event will also be held at 9 a.m. at Buffalo Park.
It is critical to acknowledge that members of over 30 Indigenous Nations from the United States, including members of the Hopi Tribe, participated as Code Talkers in both World War I and World War II. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed August 14 as National Navajo Code Talkers Day. The year 2022 marks the 80th anniversary of the over 400 Navajo young men recruited during World War II as Code Talkers. These young men made up an elite group of U.S. Marines who developed an unbreakable code using their native language. In March 2021, Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation making National Navajo Code Talkers Day a legal state holiday every year on August 14, honoring the courage of the Code Talkers and their critical role in the Allied victory of WWII.
For questions related to the Code Talkers event, please contact Rose Toehe, City of Flagstaff Coordinator for Indigenous Initiatives at Rose.Toehe@flagstaffaz.gov. For registration or questions related to the 2K honor walk/ run event, email JMockta@nacainc.org