Navajo Code Talker Albert Smith, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima WWII USMC SIGNED PHOTO

Description: Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE PLEASE NOTE THIS PHOTOGRPAH IS EXTREMELY GRAINY. LEASE NOTE ALBERT SMITH IS ONE OF THE RAREST NAVAJO CODE TALKER AUTOGRAPHS IN THE HOBBY. HE SIGNED THIS PHOTOGRAPH WITH A VERY SMALL SIGNATURE IN BALLPOINT PEN. THIS IS THE LAST AUTOGRAPH I HAVE FROM HIM. I AM CLOSE TO BEING SOLD OUT OF NAVAJO CODE TALKER AUTOGRAPHS. DO NOT MISS YOUR CHANCE TO ADD THIS RARE SIGNED PHOTO TO YOUR COLLECTION. I ONLY HAVE A HANDFUL REMAINING. This listing is for the following WWII Navajo Code Talker autographed 4x6 photograph: BIO: Albert Smith (Deceased) WWII USMC 1943-1945 Battle of Kwajalein, Battle of Saipan, Battle of Tinian, Battle of Iwo Jima Navajo Code Talker. He was a member of the elite group of Navajo Code Talker that was immortalized in the film Windtalkers. Albert Smith, from Gallup, New Mexico, enlisted in the Marine Corps when he was fifteen years of age and an eighth grader in boarding school in Fort Wingate. He told recruiters he was seventeen and convinced his father to sign off on his early enlistment so that he could join at the same time as his older brother, George Smith. Albert and George hoped to serve together in the same unit, but military policy dictated that brothers should not serve together - a policy reinforced by the loss of the five Sullivan brothers on the USS Juneau in November 1942. Smith remembers having to "study like we never studied before" to get through Code Talker training at the Navajo Communication School at Camp Elliott, but he graduated on time and was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, 4th Marine Division. With the 4th Marine Division, Smith took part in the battles of Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima. In his oral history interview Smith demonstrates his skill as a teacher (a job he held for many years), providing a comprehensive overall history of the war in the Pacific, as well as explaining how the Navajo Code was devised and used in practice. But he also provides some more personal reflections - Smith was highly sensitive to racial tensions that existed in the military and in American society at the time and also jokes about the stress of preparing for nighttime banzai attacks on Saipan while constant rain made weapons maintenance almost impossible Smith also provides important insight into security and secrecy measures in place to protect both the Code and the Code Talkers. While most Code Talkers were not assigned bodyguards as pop culture portrayals have suggested, they were kept away from operations center tents that represented high value targets to Japanese artillery, and Marines were instructed to never use the word "Navajo" to refer to them on the radio or even in person, but rather to use coded terms Smith also recalls witnessing some of his comrades break from the psychological strain of combat, and how the Code Talkers were not given special treatment, but rather were expected to pitch in and help where needed. He also provides vivid memories from his time on the island of Roi during the Battle of Kwajalein, where he saw a bunker filled with Japanese troops who had been killed instantly by the concussion of an exploding shell or bomb. While on Roi, Smith and his colleagues also had to fight a determined enemy who tied themselves into treetop fighting perches, and hid in drainage ditches after the island was secured so that they could attack American sentries at night. After the war, Smith went back and finished high school in less than two years, then enlisted in the Army after having difficulty finding a job. While in the Army, he experienced life on the East Coast for the first time, and was shocked by the segregation and racial tensions he saw in the community outside Camp Lee, Virginia, where he trained for the Quartermaster Corps. Albert Smith later went to work in education for the Bureau of Indian Affairs for 38 years before retiring, and he completed a bachelor’s degree in education from Eastern New Mexico University. He maintained a strong belief in traditional Navajo religious teachings. In reflecting on the creation of the Navajo Code, and the Code Talkers’ significance in American history, Smith states “I think what the Code Talkers did is bring out, not only as Navajos but all the natives, what we are and who we are. We are examples of Mother Earth. We use all that we have." If you are not familiar with the WWII Navajo Code Talkers in 202 there is a movie titled “Windtalkers” starring Nicolas Cage that tells real story of code talkers from the Navajo nation during World War II. The WWII Navajo Code Talkers (code was never broken) they served in the USMC using a little-known language as a means of secret communication. The Navajo Code Talkers used their knowledge of Native American languages as a basis to transmit coded messages they would transmit secret tactical messages. Navajo Code Talkers transmitted messages over military telephone or radio communications nets using formally or informally developed codes built upon their Indigenous languages. The code talkers improved the speed of encryption and decryption of communications in front line operations during World War II and are credited with a number of decisive victories. Many Navajo men enlisted shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and eagerly contributed to the war effort. Because Navajo has a complex grammar, it is not mutually intelligible with even its closest relatives within the Na-Dene family to provide meaningful information. At the time, it was still an unwritten language, and Johnston believed Navajo could satisfy the military requirement for an undecipherable code. Its complex syntax and phonology, not to mention its numerous dialects, made it unintelligible to anyone without extensive exposure and training. One estimate indicates that at the outbreak of World War II, fewer than 30 non-Navajo could understand the language. In early 1942, Johnston met with the commanding general of the Amphibious Corps, Major General Clayton B. Vogel, and his staff. Johnston staged simulated combat conditions which demonstrated that Navajo men could transmit and decode a three-line message in 20 seconds, compared to the 30 minutes it took the machines of the time. The idea of using Navajo speakers as code talkers was accepted; Vogel recommended that the Marines recruit 200 Navajo. However, that recommendation was cut to one-platoon to use as a pilot project to develop and test the feasibility of a code. On May 4, 1942, twenty-nine Navajo men were sworn-into service at an old US Army Fort that had been converted into a BIA Boarding School: Fort Wingate. They were organized as platoon 382. The first 29 Navajo recruits attended boot camp in May 1942. This first group created the Navajo code at Camp Pendleton. One of the key features of the Navajo Code Talkers is that they employed a coded version of their language. Other Navajos who were not trained in the Navajo Code could not decipher the messages being sent. Platoon 382 was the Marine Corps' first "all-Indian, all-Navajo" Platoon. The members of this platoon would become known as The First Twenty-Nine. Most were recruited from near the Fort Wingate, NM area. The youngest was William Dean Yazzie (aka Dean Wilson) who was only 15 when he was recruited. The oldest was Carl N. Gorman who with his son, R.C. Gorman, would go on to become an artist of great acclaim and who would design the Code Talkers' logo at age 35. The Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008 was signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 15, 2008. The act recognized every Native American code talker who served in the United States military during WWI or WWII (with the exception of the already-awarded Navajo) with a Congressional Gold Medal. The act was designed to be distinct for each tribe, with silver duplicates awarded to the individual code talkers or their next-of-kin. As of 2013, 33 tribes have been identified and been honored at a ceremony at Emancipation Hall at the US Capitol Visitor Center. One surviving code talker was present, Edmond Harjo. THIS IS AN AUTHENTIC HAND AUTOGRAPHED 4x6 PHOTOGRAPH. I ONLY SELL AUTHENTIC HAND AUTOGRAPHED MEMORABILIA. I do not sell reprints or facsimile autographs. When you bid on my items you will receive the real deal authentic hand autographed items. You will receive the same signed photograph that is pictured in the scan. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me. PLEASE NOTE this 4x6 photograph was printed in the early 2000’s and then personally hand autographed. I ship items internationally and the price for international S&H varies by country. I currently have other rare autographed military and historical signed items available. Please take a look at my other auctions of rare military and historical autographed items.

Price: 99.99 USD

Location: Historical Treasures

End Time: 2024-04-07T02:43:02.000Z

Shipping Cost: 3.75 USD