Navajo Code TalkersNE-HE-MAH - Our Motherland. The Navajo Nation is a piece of land within parts of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. The entire nation covers 27,000 square miles. In the early times and early writings, when the Pilgrims came to this continent, the Native Americans did not want this land, so the Pilgrims said they had no rights to this land. The pioneers told of uncivilized Native Americans who, because they were uncivilized, could not own this land. Prospectors pushing west told others about Native Americans who didn't speak English, so they couldn't really own this land. These Native Americans were pushed around by foreigners. Those foreigners took their land, slaughtered their game, outlawed their methods of worship, and robbed their communities. The United States government decided to give them the land of the Navajo Nation. Now they had a home but we continued to involve ourselves in their lives. We forced Navajo children to leave their parents and attend English school. They were given English names, had their hair cut, and were punished for using their native language. The Navajo are a strong people, they have maintained their language and culture with great pride and personal risk. Why then would Native Americans who have been mistreated, ravaged, and treated unfairly want to protect this county? The response was: “Someone has to defend this country, someone has to defend freedom.” (Nez, Avila, Colacci, & Tantor Media, 2011) Philip Johnson and his missionary family lived on the Navajo reservation and worked with the Navajos. Growing up with the Navajo language was really the only way to truly understand the language. Their language was basically a 411 word language, but it was the way it was spoken that was... middle of paper......ce in our country. Once it began, the recognition seemed to continue because in 1982 President Reagan gave Code Talkers a day of their own to celebrate: August 14 became National Code Talker Day. The Senate also passes Bill 2408 which was signed by the president Clinton to have Congress award Congressional Gold Metal to Navajo Code Talkers. Few of the original Code Talkers are available to finally receive their rewards. The families are very proud of their families, but for most of them it came too late and took a long time. It's amazing that the same people we tried to destroy in America, taking away their land, life and culture, were the same people who were there ready to fight and save the United States. They came home as heroes without the welcome of a hero.DINE BIZAAD YEE ATAH NAAYEE YIK'EH DRESDLII – the Navajo language was used to defeat the enemy.