Three or four Code Talkers ago, they said he was the last one. So, either there were a lot more that they didn't know about, or some family members are getting creative after an old man passes.
There was an original cohort of maybe 29 or 30? to prove it worked. It made the news when the last guy from the first cohort passed. (Chester Nez in 2014) The first cohort also developed the code they used. (it was more than just speaking in Navajo, captured Navajos who were not code talker trained could not understand the code)
By the end of the war, there may have been 400 navajos that were trained to be code talkers.
So what's a code talker? The first 29? Anyone who finished the training and used it in combat? Anyone who finished the training and was assigned to a combat area? Anyone who finished the training and saw combat? Anyone who finished the training before the end of the war? Anyone who finished the training before they stopped the training?
As you imply, there is a high prestige associated with being a code talker. ( and being a family member thereof)
