John Kinsel Sr (1917-2024)
One of the last “Navajo Code Talkers” passed away this weekend. John Kinsel who was listed at 107 passed away.
Kinsel was born in Cove. Which was located near Lukachukai, Arizona, on the Navajo reservation. He enlisted in the Marines in 1942. During World War II. Along with hundreds of Navajo serving, Kinsel was brought in as a “Code Talker”. Dispatched through the regions to transmit important messages and information using their written language as code. They would send thousands of messages without error to several locations throughout the Pacific between 1942-1945. He served in the serving with the 9th Marine Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
His and his fellow Code talkers were honored in 1982 by Pres. Reagan when the “National Code Talkers day was established along with the Aug 14th holiday honoring all tribes that were part of the war effort.
Below I posted a link of an interview that he gave in 2019 and it is now in the Library of Congress. He offers his account of his actions, and what he did when the war was over. Quite an interesting interview from a remarkable man that lived long to see his efforts and contributions appreciated.
Throughtful Reader 
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