2019 NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
Date Signed: 10/25/2019 | MARADMINS Number: 604/19
MARADMINS : 604/19

R 251547Z OCT 19
MARADMIN 604/19
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MP//
SUBJ/2019 NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH//
REF/A/PUBLIC LAW 101-343/3AUG1990/NATIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH//
REF/B/PUBLIC LAW 101-185/28NOV1989/NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN ACT//
REF/C/NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH/NATIVEAMERICANHERITAGEMONTH.GOV//
REF/D/NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN VETERANS MEMORIAL/AMERICANINDIAN.SI.EDU/NNAVM//
REF/E/NAVAJO CODE TALKERS ASSOCIATION/NAVAJOCODETALKERS.ORG//
REF/F/LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT/29OCT2009/AMERICAN INDIANS - WILLING TO SERVE//
POC/T. M. VELAZQUEZ/CIV/UNIT: MRA (MPE)/TEL: COM (703)784-9371/TEL: DSN (278)/EMAIL: THERESA.VELAZQUEZ@USMC.MIL//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  Since proclaimed by Public Law 101-343 in 1990, November is observed as “Native American Heritage Month.”  During this month we take the opportunity to honor all Native Americans and to acknowledge their ongoing contributions to the success and development of our Nation.  The 2019 observance theme is: “Honoring Our Nations: Building Strength Through Understanding.”
2.  The “National Museum of the American Indian Act” was signed into public law by President George H. W. Bush in 1989.  The Act authorized the creation of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., which opened in 2004.  The NMAI houses one of the world’s largest and most diverse indigenous artifact collections, and it continues to grow.  In November 2020, the NMAI will unveil the National Native American Veterans Memorial designed by Marine Corps veteran Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne, Arapaho).  This outdoor memorial entitled, “Warriors’ Circle of Honor,” will provide a space for gathering and reflection as well as educate the visiting public about the myriad contributions that generations of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians have made to each branch of the U.S. Armed Services.
3.  The Navajo Code Talkers applied their ancestral language to create an unbreakable code which was critical for the Marine Corps in combatting the imperial Japanese forces within the WWII Pacific Theater.  Twenty-nine Navajo Radio Operators (MOS 0642) newly graduated from Marine Corps boot camp developed the Code in seven weeks at Camp Elliot, California.  However, despite three weeks of intensive cryptologic examination by the Navy’s own highly skilled codebreakers proving it was unbreakable, the Navajo Code was not put into immediate use.  Once the Code was authorized, the Navajo Code Talkers were deployed to the frontlines.  While under enemy fire, the Code Talkers used heavy, noisy TBX radios to convey encoded messages with precision.  Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal officer, had six Code Talkers working nonstop during the first two days of the Battle for Iwo Jima.  He once said, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.”  When field commanders increased their confidence in the security, speed, and accuracy of the Code, up to 420 Navajo Code Talkers were leveraged from the Battle of Guadalcanal through the occupation of Japan.  The Navajo Code Talker program remained classified until 1968.  So, it has been only recently that the Navajo Code Talkers have been able to talk about their contributions to saving lives and achieving victory in World War II.  Nevertheless, their experiences as Marines shaped these veterans into leaders for their people both on and off the Navajo reservation.
4.  To learn more about the Marine Corps’ Native American heritage, cryptologic innovators, and U.S. military history, visit the Library of the Marine Corps (grc-usmcu.libguides.com/library-of-the-marine-corps) or select a book from the Commandant’s Professional Reading list (grc-usmcu.libguides.com/usmc-reading-list).  To discover more about the creators and keepers of the unbreakable code, read, “It Had to Be Done: The Navajo Code Talkers Remember World War II,” (2008) by Stephen Mack.
5.  During this observance month, commanders are encouraged to recognize and celebrate the invaluable service and selfless contributions Native Americans give to our country and Corps.  Commanders are further encouraged to conduct programs and promote participation in observance events within their commands and across their local communities.
6.  Release authorized by BGen D. L. Shipley, Division Director, Manpower Plans and Policy.//