Navajo Code Talkers
Many of us learned about the Navajo Code Talkers in U.S. History class in high school. For those who didn’t, rather than trying to write something myself, here is a link that gives a very good, brief description of what the Navajos did for us, not only during WWII, but also WWI, Korea and for a little while in Vietnam.
While I was in Gallup, I spent a few minutes on the grounds of the McKinley County Courthouse. Unlike many jurisdictions in this country, they are very proud of their veterans. They have a memorial that includes the names of their veterans in each war. Here are a few pictures:
Later in the day I noticed a sign for “Window Rock.” My curiosity got the best of me so I drove out there. It turns out Window Rock is just over the Arizona border. It is where the governing body of the Navajo Nation is headquartered. And what headquarters they have. Here a few pics of what they get to see out their window each day:
I am anxious to get back to Window Rock for a longer visit. The first clue as to what Window Rock was all about should have been the sign I saw on a restaurant billboard that read, “mutton buffet.” I haven’t had mutton since I was a child and my mom would drive to Grand Central Market in Los Angeles and buy a leg of mutton to roast or stew. I cannot wait to try it again. My next visit to Window Rock will definitely be around noon time.
For those that would like to see additional and larger pictures of this visit, go to my Flickr account.
