Can The Media PLEASE STOP With the Stories About Oldest Human Dying?

Did you know the last of the original Navajo Code Talkers died last week?

I was the youngest person on earth once.

Yep, my wife is an Army linguist, so naturally I took note. The Fort Huachuca Museum used to have a great display on the subject, I assume they still do.

Thing is, after the last one dies is a lousy time to thank them for their service, so I dont know why I should care.

Come to think of it, that is a poor time for gratitude.

Wasn't the film some form of tribute to them?

I don't follow the movies, but sounds at least likely. I had been thinking it was more of a local interest since we are so close to the big rez.

No, not just local interest at all. I first remember reading about this in the Readers Digest, about twenty or more years ago, and found the whole thing fascinating. It was reckoned that they were much much more effective than the German code machines, and it was instant.

I've just looked up the film. Wndtalkers was released in 2002, and starred Nicolas Cage, but despite that, received a reasonable rating.

Have they managed to keep the language alive in any way, shape or form?

Oh, lordy, yes. Most are bi-lingual, but some of the old timers speak Navajo only. There also classes at the community college in town, and I'm pretty sure that's true of all public schools on the reservation. They say the language is tonal, which makes it fairly difficult to learn without a good background. I'm told that Apache is the same language but Apaches talk faster.

I spent over six years working on the reservation, by the way, and most of the crew members were Navajo.

All the better to speculate on murder and mayhem at the World Cup!