R. Norman Moody

Florida Today

MELBOURNE, Fla. -- For a long time, Samuel Holiday could not talk even to family members about the secret communications he and others used that gave the United States an edge during World War II.

Known as Navajo Code Talkers, he and other Native Americans served with the Marine Corps, using communication they developed based on their native language at a time when the U.S. military desperately needed a code that the Japanese could not crack.

"When I was discharged, I was told never to talk about it," said Holiday, 89, of Kayenta, Ariz. "It was really hard. It was very strict."

Holiday is in Florida to make an appearance at a tribute to families of police officers killed or injured in the line of duty.

In recent years, though, Holiday has been sharing his wartime experiences.

"My grandkids want to know about the war," he said. "They asked me to tell about it."

Holiday wrote a book, "Under the Eagle," in which he freely talks about stories of serving with the 4th Marine Division in the Battle for Saipan and elsewhere in the Pacific.

"It's kind of a relief," he said of not having to keep it secret.

It wasn't until 1968, when the Code Talkers operation was declassified, that the men began to receive recognition for their service. In 2001, the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Other Code Talkers were awarded the Silver Medal.

"Windtalkers," a 2002 movie starring Nicolas Cage, told the story of Code Talkers on Saipan.

Since then, Holiday has told his story to audiences in many states.

"He loves to tell his story," his daughter Helena Begaii said. "He doesn't think he is a hero."

Asked about the ribbons and Purple Heart medal on his uniform, Holiday relates stories about growing up as a young boy in the Navajo Nation. He said his mother made a slingshot and taught him to concentrate on the target. When he joined the Marines, he applied the lessons to shooting guns.

"When I was in boot camp, I was an expert rifleman," he said pointing to the corresponding ribbon on his uniform.

Holiday, who volunteered in boot camp to learn a few Japanese phrases, including "lay down your arms and come out," said he was among the second wave of Marines to go onto Saipan in June 1944, in what was one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific.

"There were already dying Marines," Holiday said of his landing. "One landing craft overturned when landing on Saipan."

On the island, he and other Marines walked up behind a tank when mortars started landing nearby. They took cover in a trench, but the mortars came closer.

"All of a sudden everything went black," he said. He had been knocked unconscious.

Despite the injury, he continued to fight.

Eventually the Marines prevailed, allowing Allied forces for the first time to establish a bomber base within reach of Tokyo. The planes carrying the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki left from nearby Tinian island.

In 1972 Holiday was awarded a Purple Heart. He wore the medal on his Code Talkers uniform.

"Most Navajo guys were there to fight for our country," Begaii said. "They were afraid they were going to lose their land."

John Pasko, chairman and CEO of Families of the Shield, the group sponsoring tonight's Saturday's benefit, said that while there has been recognition for the Navajo Code Talkers, they still have not received all the respect and honor they deserve.

"Now you find the magnitude of what these individuals did," he said. "If you look up what the epitome of a hero is, he is sitting in front of you. You are so humble in all you have accomplished."