Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A former member of the once-classified Native American military communication team--considered among America's World War II "secret weapons"--will discuss his experiences during a Thursday [April 28] visit to Mississippi State University.
Merril Sandoval, a Navajo who served as a Marine Corps "code talker," will be the special guest in a public relations class taught by communication department head John Forde. The class begins at 11 a.m. in 13 Allen Hall.
The Tuba City, Ariz., resident and former corporal served as a consultant for the 2002 film "Windtalkers," which generally focused on the 450 young men who had been recruited as top-secret radio operators for the Pacific Theater. Their native-tongue code continually confounded Japanese intelligence and never was broken.
Sandoval's presentation is open to all interested members of the general public. In addition to the communication department, his MSU appearance is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and University Honors Program.
Born in 1925 and raised in a traditional Southwest reservation home, Sandoval did not learn English until he began school. Enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1943, he was present for the Leathernecks' now-iconic flag-raising ceremony following the bloody invasion of Iwo Jima island. He also was among the military victors entering Japan after the 1945 surrender.
The "code talker" mission remained an official military secret until 1968. In 2001, President George W. Bush officially recognized the Navajo servicemen's contributions to the war effort through the awarding of Congressional Silver Medals.
For more information on the Allen Hall program, contact Forde at (662) 325-3442 or jforde@comm.msstate.edu.