The Resource January 2014 Volume 1 Issue 001 | Page 21

D

ecember 7, 1941, three young
Navajo men hear that the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor and
they decide that they have to defend
their country. Samuel “Jesse” Smith,
Samuel Billison and Virgil Kirk were
students at Albuquerque Indian School
when they heard the news of the Japanese attack on the United States and
wanted to get back at the Japanese.
They decide that the United States
Marines are the fiercest fighting unit
in the world, and head to the recruiter
in Albuquerque to enlist.

It takes Jesse two years from
this day to head to Marine Corps boot
camp, he first went into the recruiters
station with Billison and Kirk, but was
turned away because the date he gave
as his birthdate made him too young to
enlist. He walks out the door and turns
around, tells the recruiter he made

a mistake and tells the recruiter the at this time that cheii took Jesse to a
“new” birthdate makes him a year old- sweat and preformed the male puberty
er. The recruiter signs up the 16 year ceremony and gave Jesse a shield for
young Samuel “Jesse” Smith and tells protection.
him to finish the school year then re-
The next thing Jesse hears,
port for boot camp in summer of 1943. “are you Navajo?” Yes sir! PICK UP
Jesse enlists to be a pilot, “that’s where YOUR SEABAG AND COME WITH
I think I can do the most damage”. He ME. It was from this point that Jesse
passes all the aptitude
had no choice, they
“Are you Navajo? took him to camp Eltests however, after
graduating boot camp
liot to a barracks full
Yes sir! Pick up
and heading to flight
of Indians. Put each
your seabag and of these men through
school the Marine
Corps finds that Jesse
a series of test, finding
come with me”
doesn’t have a high
who was proficient in
school diploma. Jesse had just finished Navajo and English and of substantial
his junior year in high school when he intelligence with the ability to retain
left for boot camp. His cheii (grand- a satisfactory amount of information.
father) has reminded him how young Then sending these men to communihe was when he told his mom he was cations school to learn every form of
going to fight the Japanese, “you ha- communication the Marine Corps had
ven’t even caught a pup yet”. It was to its availability then the men were

sent to Navajo Code Talker School, to
learn the code.

At the age of 17, Jesse was
assigned to the 4th Marine Division,
later nicknamed the Fighting Fourth
for its battles in the Marshal Islands.
Jesse was assigned to HQ Company
and assigned to transmit messages for
General Clifton B. Cates, commander
of the landings in Saipan and Tinain.
General Cates later was promoted to
Commandant of the Marine Corps
and Jesse was sent to Hawaii to refresh the code, whereas more terms
had been added making the code over
600 terms. The 4th Marine Division
set sail for an undisclosed island in the
pacific, Iwo Jima.

Samuel Jesse Smith Sr, Navajo Code Talker, 4th Marine Division. Survived the Battles of Roi
Namur, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima

January 2014 issue 001

21