Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Navajo Code Talker, WWII veteran passes away at 96

https://abc7amarillo.com/news/nation-world/navajo-code-talker-wwii-veteran-passes-away-at-96

HAYSTACK, N.M. (WSET) -- A Navajo Code Talker has passed away at the age of 96.
Joe Vandever, Sr. died in Haystack, New Mexico on Friday from health complications, according to his family.
RELATED | 105-year-old Navajo World War II veteran passes away
"The Navajo people have lost another great warrior who sacrificed more than we’ll ever know to defend our country," Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a statement. "We offer our prayers and heartfelt condolences to his wife, children, and many other loved ones."


Vandever's family said he was born on February 5, 1923 into the Red Running Into the Water People clan, born for Two Who Came to the Water clan.
His wife of 73 years, Bessie, passed away in September 2019.

Vandever enlisted with the U.S. Marine Corps in Santa Fe in 1943 before being honorably discharged as a Corporal in 1946. His family said he served in northern Colomons, Bougainville, Emirau Islands, Guam, Marianas Islands, Okinawa, Ryukyus Islands, Occupation of Japan, and Occupation of China.
He is survived by his sister, sons, daughters, 36 grandchildren, 55 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.

Vandever will be buried in Santa Fe National Cemetery.
RELATED | Navajo Code Talker William Tully Brown dies at 96
He was among hundreds of Navajos who served in the Marine Corps, using a code based on their native language to outsmart the Japanese in World War II.

RIP Sir🇺🇸

God bless another real American hero. May he RIP and May we never forget that brave generation!

Memory Eternal.

I am grateful that their story could be told while a lot of them were still around.

Think we will see this on the national news?

Pass along to people who might actually appreciate this man!

Thanks for posting.

Rip sir

How many are left?

RIP Mr. Vandever.

RIP warrior. 😕

Hand Salute... RIP Marine

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.

Your watch is over, RIP.

Man has quite the family

[align:center][/align]RIP, your service will always be remembered

One of my favorites, while not a Navaho but rather a Crow was Joe Medicine Crow the last of the Great Plains war chiefs.

And appreciated. We live in a better world because of you and your fellow service members. Thank you for your key participation.

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)

IIRC, the early Navajo code talkers were so secret that most of the Marines on Guadalcanal didn't know who they were and they looked kind of Japanese in the dark.

Brilliant use of a resource. Pretty typical of the WWII generation.

I’m sure if someone had told him, during his service in the Pacific, that he’d live to be 100 and have a large family and a long happy marriage, he’d have asked “...what’s the catch?”