South Korea sends 10K masks to Navajo Nation as thanks for their help as ‘Code Talkers’ during Korean War.
When the South Korean government realized that the Navajo Nation was in need, it shipped them 10,000 masks and other PPE as a sign of gratitude for their service 70 years ago.
During the Korean War around 800 members of the Navajo Nation used their native language as an unbreakable code for radio messages, ensuring complete secrecy around any military movements by the United States, an ally to South Korea.
While this is a little-known story within the Korean War, the South Koreans have never forgotten the Native Americans' contribution. According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in South Korea, around 130 of these “Code Talkers” are still alive today, like Thomas Begay, pictured above.
“The government remembers those who made a noble sacrifice to defend a strange country 70 years ago, and we hope they will proudly tell their posterity about the choice they made so many years ago,” said committee co-chairman Kim Eun-gi.
South Korea has also sent half a million masks to the US Department of Veterans Affairs in recognition of American soldiers who fought and died on the Korean peninsula, and those who serve their country today.