Lloyd Oliver, one of the original 29 Navajo code-talkers trained at Camp Pendleton during World War II, has died at age 88.

Published reports say that his death leaves only one of the 29 still alive, Chester Nez, of Albuquerque.

The code-talkers served in every major Marine battle of World War II. Their language baffled the Japanese and allowed the Marines to communicate battlefield information securely.

A funeral service for Oliver is set for Saturday in Gila River, Ariz. He died this week at a hospice in suburban Phoenix.

--Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Navajo code-talkers. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps