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Transcript: Thomas H. Begay & Nonobah Begay

A Navajo Code Talker reflects on his service to America at Iwo Jima during World War II

[T. Begay:]
One day we end up at Iwo Jima, the beach of Iwo Jima, February 19, 1945. We saw that grey, smoky hill. We maintained communication under all kinds of fire, you know, all kinds of conditions, snipers, you name it. We had to maintain communication with the commanding general, a two-star general in charge, and what they do is the officer or somebody writes a message. All they do is in [indiscernible], the message, and all we do is transmit it into Navajo. In Navajo there’d be another talker. They didn’t call us “code talker.” They called us “talkers.” They say, “Hey talker, get over here, there somebody calling you.”