Member of original 29 Code Talkers dies in Arizona

CAMP VERDE, Ariz. (AP) - A funeral is set for Saturday on Arizona's Gila River reservation for a member of an elite group of Marines who developed a code based on their native language during World War II.

Lloyd Oliver's death Wednesday means only one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers survives.

Oliver's wife says he was 88, but military records put his age as 87.

Oliver's nephew, Lawrence, says his uncle died at a hospice center in the Phoenix suburb of Avondale, where he had been staying for about three weeks.

Hundreds of Navajos followed in the footsteps of the original 29, sending thousands of messages without error on Japanese troop movements, battlefield tactics and other communications critical to the war's ultimate outcome.


http://www.buffalonews.com/wire-feed...icle370870.ece


RIP, Mister Oliver!
Thank you for serving our country so bravely!!

Don't forget these gentlemen! US History at it's finest.

NEVER!!

There's only one left!!

It's a shame that their contributions weren't declassified until the 1960's, and recognized until 2000.

For those that are interested here's an article I posted on a different forum a few years back...about the first time they participated in the Veteran's Day parade in NYC.

A very moving story.

And a long time in coming.


http://boards.library.trutv.com/show...t=code-talkers