Marines march in New York Veterans Day Parade, Nov. 11, 2012
"The irony remains that Native languages the American government failed to suppress played an important role in the American military victory in the Pacific war."
- National Museum of the American Indian.
Teddy Draper: During the battle of Iwo Jima, Teddy was knocked unconcious from an explosion that also caused temporary blindness and deafness. After military discharge he applied for disability benefits from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); His case was denied, but he continued to renew his claim for fifty years, until the VA gave him partial benefits. Unsatisfied, he took his case to court and won. Afterwards, Draper was rewarded a Purple Heart for his work during World War II, but was disappointed to recieve it in the mail.
Chester Nez: After serving as a Code Talker, Chester Nez returned only to be unable to vote. When he went to register for an identity card required for Indians, a white civil servant told him, "You're not a full citizen of the United States, you know."
Praised for their work during the war, many Navajos hoped that the war would provide an opportunity for personal and collective advancement. However, they were faced with reality when they returned to discrimination and lack of recognition. The government had failed to honor the code talkers who contributed so much to the war and failed to thank the natives for sacrificing their lives.
I1942: Navajo Code Talkers. 1942. Intelligence
The theme of disregarding the needs of the native people has been constant throughout the history of America. We can see this through the US government’s treatment of the Navajo Code Talkers and through what the current government is not doing for the reservations who were suffering from the lack of funding and resources. In the current state of a global pandemic, the Navajo Nation has suffered immensely and has been releasing infection rates higher than New York’s. This is a direct effect from the lack of infrastructure seen in many reservations. Amongst a community that has the highest rates of diabetes and heart disease in the whole country, there is also a lack of basic amenities like electricity or running water. With the odds against them, indigenous peoples were already at a disadvantage when it came to fighting against a virus that USA’s healthcare system was struggling to control. While history cannot be changed, there is still time for modern issues, like the COVID-19 pandemic, to be fixed in a way that benefits the community, instead of harming them even further.