| Korea remembers Navajo veterans of the Korean War | |
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Korea remembers Navajo veterans, the hidden heroes of the Korean War The 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee sends protective items including masks to Navajo veterans
[Sejong, Korea, May 18]— The 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee (Co-chairman Kim Eun-gi) said it is sending protective items including 10,000 masks to the hidden heroes of the Korean War in the Navajo Nation for the people who are hit especially hard by COVID-19.
During the Korean War, about 800 Navajo men served, and around 130 Navajo veterans are alive today.
They speak the orally transmitted Navajo language, and during World Word II the military utilized the little-known language of the Native Americans to make codes unbreakable by opposing forces and the Navajo soldiers contributed a lot as code talkers.
The Navajo are one of the largest Native American tribes and a majority of them live in the three states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.
Their stories inspired the movie director John Woo to make a film titled Windtalkers with Nicolas Cage starring as a main character in 2002.
In 2016 the Korean Government presented the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs’ Ambassador for Peace Medals* to 35 Navajo veterans of the Korean War as token of the country’s appreciation.
* Ambassador for Peace Medal is an award of the Korean government to honor the sacrifice and service of UN veterans of the Korean War and given as token of appre |
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| date | 2020-06-24 |
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