WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren told a visiting Marine Corps Lt. General that the language that saved the South Pacific 82 years ago needs to be honored and revitalized.
On Navajo Code Talkers Day, the President met with United States Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm during his visit as the keynote speaker during the annual Navajo Code Talkers Day event in Window Rock.
“Today is about honoring our Navajo Code Talkers, our men and women in uniform and their families,” President Nygren said. “It is a day to honor the unbreakable code in our sacred Navajo language that saved the world.”
Lt. Gen. Cederholm commands the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. During a sunrise meeting outside Veterans Memorial Park, he expressed admiration for the Navajo Code Talkers and the enduring legacy they represent on behalf of the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps.
“We in the Marine Corps love to honor our past,” Lt. Gen. Cederholm said. “By honoring our past, we strengthen our future. That past is full of beauty. It is full of history and heartbreak. All these things make us stronger.”
Navajo Nation Veterans Administration Director Bobbie Ann Baldwin said as a fellow Marine she was honored by the lieutenant general’s visit.
“Our people show their patriotism with honor, not just in the service, but back here at home,” Baldwin said.
President Nygren and Lt. Gen. Cederholm talked about the importance of blending cultures.
“When we work together, when we coexist, we come up with great and beautiful things like the Navajo Code,” President Nygren said. “This includes our continued commitment and partnership to build the National Navajo Code Talker Museum to honor all our warriors.”
“Our language is sacred,” he added. “We need to fight for our language. We should not shy away from speaking it. Today is a day to be proud to speak Diné Bizaad.”
###
