Search for the Navajo Code Talkers

by Sally McClain

It started with a newspaper article and a knock on the door. Sally McClain recounts how her path became unexpectedly entwined with that of the Code Talkers, Navajo veterans of World War II. The Code Talkers had been ordered not to speak of the code they created and used during the war, and that in fact it would be best to forget all about it. When Sally embarked on her fascinating and emotional journey in 1988, the public still knew very little about the Code Talkers. She became determined to unearth the facts and give credit to the heroes who helped make victory in the Pacific possible.

136 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2012

Reviews

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fair introduction into a very heavy subject. While Ms. McClain is very intriguing, she is also very into herself. If you can wade through that, you will come up with a nice education of who the Code Talkers were. I am looking forward to one day reading Ms. McCain's other book which I hope to learn about more about these great men.

[Cortney Eldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was about the code talkers, but it's quite literally the search for them. This book outlines the research, challenges, and wins that went into writing the book I *thought* I was reading! Does want to make me read Navajo Weapon a whole lot more, but this one wasn't for me.

[Ellen Behrens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even those of us who think we've heard the story of the Navajo Code Talkers -- well, we don't know nothin'. And the story BEHIND their story is fascinating. Sally McClain would be the first to tell you she's the last person anyone (except maybe Carl Gorman) would have thought was destined to tell this fascinating story.

McClain's book, "Navajo Weapon," tells that story. "Search for the Navajo Code Talkers" tells her story about telling their story. And it's fascinating as well.

If you've ever wondered about something, thought you'd found the right person to ask, but that person said you should ask another person... If you've ever sought documentation to back up something historically that you heard in conversation, only to find the archives have less information than you do... well, then you've walked in Sally McClain's shoes.

She sees a loose thread. Tugs it. It unwinds through a patchwork quilt, one square at a time, the thread stretching farther and farther. Where's the end of that thread? What does it lead her to?

Not only is "Search" a great story of how McClain unraveled a mystery, but it's much more than that. It's also a great example of how a dedicated, persistent researcher followed every lead, tracked down every witness, found every scrap of paper she could in her pursuit of the answer to a question she thought was so simple at the start: What exactly did the Navajo code talkers do during World War II?

Yep, I thought I knew the story of the code talkers, but now that I've read what McClain went through to tell their story, I'm going back to that book ("Navajo Weapon") to read it. Clearly I don't know as much of the story as I thought I did.

This is a must-read for anyone interested in Native American contributions to the military, the code talkers, and nonfiction writers who want a glimpse at how someone who started with a question wouldn't quit until she had the answer.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slim volume tracing the research done by Sally McClain for her book, Navajo Weapon. It follows her meetings with surviving Code Talkers and/or their family members; her travels to Washington, DC to search Naval and other governmental archives for records about this top secret program to use Native speaking Navajo to form an alphabet and vocabulary that would be totally unbreakable by our Japanese enemies in the Pacific Theatre of WW II; her efforts to organize all the pieces of information she gathered over several years into a cogent story of the success of the progam; and the culmination of her work, a published book and a celebratory banquet in Gallup, New Mexico the night before the annual Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial. Absolutely absorbing and enticing. After reading this, I could not wait to begin Navajo Weapon, which I have almost completed.

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a follow-up to the introduction of the importance of the Dine and their language was critical to World War II efforts. In this volume, McClain traces her process, leads, and assistance in finding what we know. It is more matter-of-fact, but I love the story anyway. While it could be seen as what is required to write non-fiction or history when you start without subject-matter expertise, I focused on the relationships that were built as this story was learned and cataloged.

[Anne Slanina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has an interest in WWII history has to read this book to gain a more complete, accurate account of the Navajo's significant contribution to the success of the US. Interesting account and well-written.l

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good mystery. Well written. Glad it all worked out.