Transcript Code Talker Joseph Bruchac

Code Talker
Joseph Bruchac
Part II: Chapter 16-29
Pages 105-214
Summary
When Ned takes part in Operation Cartwheel on
Bougainville, he comments on the fact that he never
sees the enemy during battles. Japanese soldiers,
who believe they are fighting for the Empire of the
Sun under Emperor Hirohito, willingly commit
“banzai,” or suicide attacks. Harry Tsosie, a Navajo
code talker, is killed by his own men after being
mistaken for the enemy. To ensure the code talkers’
safety, the rules for sending messages are SEND,
RECEIVE, ROGER, AND MOVE. The original code
involved 265 words, but it has doubled by this point.
Summary Continued
Ned participates in missions on the Marianas
Islands and Guam, where Japanese
propaganda calls Marines “devils” who need
to be tortured and killed. The code talkers’
role is so vital they are protected with the
generals. After recovering from a gunshot
wound to the shoulder, Ned’s next mission
takes place on Pavavu in 1945, where the
pesticide DDT is heavily used in fighting
bugs, rats, and giant land crabs.
Summary Continued
People in the United States were often kept
ignorant of things like “kamikaze” attacks to
prevent morale from sinking. While Europeans
adhered to the terms of the Geneva
Convention and peacefully surrendered, the
Japanese would commit suicide before
surrendering. Ned is angered by the USA FOOD
RELIEF boxes found in underground tunnels on
Iwo Jima because he realizes the government
has not given these supplies to the citizens
who need it.
Summary Concluded
Ned fights on Mount Suribachi, where the famous
picture of Marines planting an American flag was
taken. He also fights on Okinawa, where the US
loses 12,000 soliders and the Japanese military
loses 110,000 soldiers and 80,000 citizens. Ned
ends his Marine career at San Francisco where he
receives messages about the aftermath of the
atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Enemyway ceremony restores his balance, and
Ned becomes a Navajo teacher. The crucial role of
code talker communication held military forces
together and allowed them to be victorious in
WWII.
Table Discussion Questions:
1. Describing the battle of Iwo Jima, Ned says, “Our
Navajo nets kept everything connected like a
spider’s strands spanning distant branches.” How
does this simile describe the work of the code
talkers?
2. Do you agree that giving nicknames to frightening
things can make them seem more familiar and less
frightening? Why or why not?
3. Comment on the narrator’s statement, “Never think
that war is a good thing, grandchildren. Though it
may be necessary at times to defend our people,
war is a sickness that must be cured.”