Harrison
Lapahie was born in Shiprock, Table Mesa in 1923. Educated at the
Ute Indian Boarding School
he joined the U.
S. Marines during
the Second World War.
Lapahie
was
recruited to become part of the Navajo Code
Talking program at Camp
Pendleton at Oceanside, California. An
estimated 400 Navajos agents were trained to use the code and around
300 saw action in the field. Speaking Navajo and using an additional
code within that, they were able to convey information and orders
among Marine units and Navy warships and aircraft. The Code Talkers
served in all six Marine divisions, Marine Raider battalions and Marine
parachute units.
After
completing his training, Lapahie was placed in the 4th Marine Division
of the U.
S. Marines and
saw action in the Pacific War including
the invasions of Saipan, Guadalcanal,
and Iwo
Jima.
After
the war Lapahie continued his education at the Coyne Electrical and
Radio, Television School in Chicago. He graduated there and found
a job in Witchita with Boeing as an Assembler. He later moved to Los
Angeles and got a degree as Radio Operator. Later Lapahie found a
job at the Los Angeles Airport with North American as an Aircraft
Mechanic. He stayed with North American for 33 years, working on the
Stratofortress Bomber, Minute Man Missile, Gemini and Apollo Space
Program, and Space Shuttle Program. Harrison Lapahie
died in Los Angeles on 26th November, 1985.
Northern
Arizona University: Navajo Code Talker Lesson
Navajo
Code Cipher
Navajo
Code Talkers' Dictionary
Navajo
Code Talkers: A Select Bibliography
Navajo
Code Talkers: World War II Fact Sheet
Esquire
Magazine: How the Navajo Won the War
Indian
Country: Code Talkers
Available from Amazon Books
(order below)
