Chester Nez - The Life and Times of the Code Talker

Praise for Code Talker

From Guadalcanal through Bougainville to Peleliu, Nez relates a riveting tale of jungle combat and his personal struggle to adapt to civilian life following the most cataclysmic war in our nations history. Gripping in its narrative, Code Talker is history at its best.

Colonel Cole C. Kingseed, U.S. Army (Ret.), coauthor of Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters

A fascinating inside look at one of WWIIs most closely guarded secrets... This is an important book, a previously untold piece of our history.

Marcus Brotherton, author of Shiftys War

You dont need to be a fan of World War II literature to appreciate this memoir... a fascinating melange of combat in the Pacific theater, the history of the Navajo people and the development of a uniquely American code that remained unbroken by the Japanese throughout the war and classified until 1968... packed with Nezs one-of-a-kind experiences that secured his remarkableand rightfulplace in American history.

The Associated Press

A remarkably affecting first-person account of the Navajo Marines who served their country with distinction through some of the worst battles of the Pacific theater.

The Washington Times

Readers will be captivated by stories of Nezs childhood and his days as a Marine.

PW Annex Reviews

Theres lots of detail of personal effort, suffering, and boredom, summoning the true flavor of the war and a portrait of those who made a valuable contribution to the war effort... Accessible and compelling, this is recommended for general readers as well as World War II history buffs.

Library Journal

The Life and Times of the Code Talker

Chester Nez

With Judith Schiess Avila

BERKELY BOOKS

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd)

Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd)

Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi110 017, India

Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)

Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE CODE TALKER

Copyright 2012 by Chester Nez

Excerpt from Code Talker copyright 2011 by Chester Nez

ISBN: 978-1-101-60842-5

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Penguin is committed to publishing works of quality and integrity. In that spirit, we are happy to offer this book to our readers; however, the story, the experiences, and the words are the authors alone.

Dedicated to my fellow Marines, warriors who daily expose themselves to risk while protecting their loved ones. I pray that, someday, all will be in balance, and war will no longer rip our world apart. But for now, Semper fi!

One

My Memoir Gets Published!

In beauty all is made whole.

In beauty all is restored.

Here I am, the old man.

Courtesy of Latham Nez

From my wheelchair in my son Mikes kitchen, I have a pretty good view. The Sandia Mountains rise above the city to the east, purple with snatches of clouds snagged on their rocky crest. The mountains, whose name means watermelon in Spanish, dominate Albuquerque. Jutting from mile-high flatlands, they always fill me with a sense of wonder.

I wheel into the living room, where a big-screen television and the Albuquerque Journal are handy. But even with those distractions, the view inside my headninety-one years of memoriesoften takes over. After retrieving, sorting, and shuffling those memories as I worked with Judith Avila on my memoir, I find that even the oldest recollections are clear in my mind and as alive as I am. They surround me like old friends.

I met Judy back in January of 2007. She called after hearing about me from a writer friend. Over a two-hour lunch, she decided that I had a story to tell. Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII came out on Tuesday, September 6, 2011. A big day.

Our publicist at Penguin scheduled our first book signing for Saturday, September 10. I enjoy replaying that day in my memory. Judy, who recorded my stories and wrote them down, met me for the signing.

I had wondered, would anyone come?

My whole family attended, so at least I knew my son Mike and his wife, Rita, would be there. Also, my grandson Mikey. And Judy. With me, that made five. Guaranteed.

Driving on the freeway to the signing, we encountered an accident that caused traffic to slow down, then nearly halt. Mike, Rita, Mikey, and I arrived at the bookstore in the Coronado Mall maybe fifteen minutes late. A throng crowded the bookstore. People saw me, my red code-talker cap and goldenrod-yellow shirt, and parted to let my wheelchair pass. A quick elevator ride brought us to the upper level designated for the signing. It was already jammed with people. As more arrived on both the escalator and the elevator, I shook my head. The crowd was for us?

I rolled to the signing table as Judy wrapped up a short introductory talk, and several employees stepped in to help. We got into a kind of rhythm, with Judy addressing each book to its purchaser or to the person who would receive it as a gift. She signed her name low on the cover page before handing the book to me for my signature, above hers. The hundred and fifty Code Talker books on hand sold immediately, with a squabble or two breaking out about who had been first to grab a book from the quickly diminishing stock.

The bookstore employees began to take orders. They gave us bookplates to signplates that could be pasted into the memoirs when the orders arrived. More than three hours after the signing started, we closed up shop. I looked around and realized that ABC news had sent a crew to cover the impressive crowd. Did that usually happen? I didnt think so.

Some five hundred people attended, withI heardmore being turned away at the door. It turned out to be the biggest signing our local Barnes & Noble had ever had. One fan asked me to marry her by writing the proposal in the front of her book. I grinned at her and said yes. People took pictures. Many had their kids pose with me. I signed code-talker G.I. Joe dolls and other memorabilia, as well as books. It was a real eye-opener, so much more exciting than I had anticipated. And Judy told me, the whole thing was better than she could have dreamed it!