One of the last Navajo World War II Code Talkers has died at the age of 107.
John Kinsel Sr. was one of hundreds from the Navajo tribe recruited by the U.S. military in the 1940s to transmit messages based on the Navajo’s then unwritten native language—and he went on to be wounded in action in one of World War II’s most deadly battles for U.S. personnel.
Navajo Nation officials in Window Rock announced Kinsel’s death on Saturday, with all flags on the reservation ordered to be flown at half-staff until Oct. 27 at sunset to honor Kinsel as one of the community’s last heroes of World War II.
With Kinsel’s death, only two Navajo Code Talkers are still alive: Former Navajo Chairman Peter MacDonald and Thomas H. Begay.
Tribal President Buu Nygren said in a statement Sunday “Mr. Kinsel was a Marine who bravely and selflessly fought for all of us in the most terrifying circumstances with the greatest responsibility as a Navajo Code Talker.”
Navajo Code Talker John Kinsel Sr., of Lukachukai, Ariz., listens as his comrades speak of their WWII experiences Tuesday Aug. 14, 2007, in Window Rock, Ariz. Kinsel was wounded during the notorious Battle of Iwo Jima, where U.S. personnel suffered over 24,000 casualties.
Donovan Quintero/AP
The Navajo code Kinsel transmitted confounded Japanese cryptologists during World War II. This work was vital in several key battles of the Pacific, including Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleliu and Iwo Jima where thousands of messages detailing Japanese troop movements, battlefield tactics, and other critical information were transmitted.
From 1942 the coded messaged contributed significantly to the Allies’ eventual victory in the Pacific in 1945.
Kinsel was born in 1921 in Lukachukai, Arizona, enlisting in the Marines in 1942 and he was part of the second cohort to become one of the elite Code Talkers, serving with the 9th Marine Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division.
According to his online profile in the National Library of Congress (LoC) Kinsel’s first combat experience came during the Battle of Bougainville, where despite the intensity of fighting he was able to celebrate Thanksgiving with fellow Marines.
After this action came the Battle of Guam, where he faced heavy Japanese resistance throughout the island and on the beaches in particular. A video interview held by the LoC reveals that Kinsel discovered Guamanian civilians who had been murdered by Japanese soldiers during this battle.
Kinsel was wounded during the notorious Battle of Iwo Jima, where U.S. personnel suffered over 24,000 casualties.
President Ronald Reagan established Navajo Code Talkers Day in 1982 where on Aug. 14 all the tribes associated with the war effort are still honored.
The day is an Arizona state holiday and Navajo Nation holiday on the reservation that occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah.
According to the Navajo Times, Kinsel dedicated his life to his family and his heritage. Apart from serving overseas, it is reported that he chose never to leave his hometown, where he become “a steadfast figure in the community.”
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
