The last of the 29 Navajo Americans who developed a code with their native language to encrypt military messages in World War 2 has died.
Chester Nez, 93, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, had told US media he was “very proud” of his part developing the cipher the Japanese never broke.
It was credited with saving the lives of thousands of US troops in the Pacific.
Nez, who was also a painter, died of kidney failure on Wednesday.
“It saddens me to hear the last of the original code talkers has died,” Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly told Reuters, adding he was ordering flags to be flown at half-mast in Nez’s honour.
“We are proud of these young men in defending the country they loved using their Navajo language.”
Nez was chosen from among 250 Navajos who arrived at the Army base in Arizona for the project. He was in high school at the time of his enlistment and lied about his age.
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