Navajo Soldiers World War II Code Talkers

Navajo Soldiers World War II Code Talkers World War II had no shortage of heroes, but the conflict likely would’ve ended on a completely different note for the United States without the efforts of the Navajo soldiers known as Code Talkers. At the onset of the war, the U.S. found itself vulnerable to Japanese intelligence specialists who used their English-speaking soldiers to intercept the messages issued by the U.S. military. Each time the military devised a code, Japanese intelligence experts deciphered it. As a result, they not only learned which actions U.S. forces would take before they carried them out but gave the troops bogus missions to confuse them. To prevent the Japanese from intercepting subsequent messages, the U.S. military developed highly intricate codes that could take more than two hours to decrypt or encrypt. This was far from an efficient way to communicate. But ​World War I veteran Philip Johnston would change that by suggesting that the U.S. military develop a code based on the Navajo language. A Complex Language World War II did not mark the first time the U.S. military developed a code based on an indigenous language. In World War I, Choctaw speakers served as code talkers. But Philip Johnston, a missionary’s son who grew up on the Navajo reservation, knew that a code based on the Navajo language would be especially difficult to break. For one, the Navajo language was largely unwritten at the time and many words in the language have different meanings depending on context. Once Johnston demonstrated to the Marine Corps how effective a Navajo-based code would be in thwarting intelligence breaches, the Marines set out to sign up Navajos as radio operators. The Navajo Code in Use In 1942, 29 Navajo soldiers ranging in age from 15 to 35 years old collaborated to create the first U.S. military code based on their indigenous language. It started off with a vocabulary of about 200 but tripled in quantity by the time World War II ended. The Navajo Code Talkers could pass messages in as few as 20 seconds. According to the official Navajo Code Talkers website, indigenous words that sounded like military terms in English made up the code. â€Å"The Navajo word for turtle meant ‘tank,’ and a dive-bomber was a ‘chicken hawk.’ To supplement those terms, words could be spelled out using Navajo terms assigned to individual letters of the alphabet- the selection of the Navajo term being based on the first letter of the Navajo word’s English meaning. For instance, ‘Wo-La-Chee’ means ‘ant,’ and would represent the letter ‘A.’† U.S. Triumphs With Code The code was so complex that not even native Navajo speakers comprehended it. â€Å"When a Navajo listens to us, he wonders what in the world we’re talking about,† Keith Little, the late code talker, explained to news station My Fox Phoenix in 2011. The code also proved unique because the Navajo soldiers weren’t allowed to write it down once on frontlines of the war. The soldiers functioned essentially as â€Å"living codes.† During the first two days of the Battle of Iwo Jima, the code talkers transmitted 800 messages with no mistakes. Their efforts played a key role in the U.S. emerging from the Battle of Iwo Jima as well as the battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, and Okinawa victoriously. â€Å"We saved a lot of lives†¦, I know that we did,† Little said. Honoring the Code Talkers The Navajo Code Talkers may have been World War II heroes, but the public didn’t realize it because the code created by the Navajos remained a top military secret for decades following the war. Finally in 1968, the military declassified the code, but many believed that the Navajos didn’t receive the honors befitting of war heroes. In April 2000, Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico sought to change that when he introduced a bill authorizing the U.S. president to award gold and silver congressional medals to the Navajo Code Talkers. In December 2000, the bill went into effect. â€Å"It has taken too long to properly recognize these soldiers, whose achievements have been obscured by twin veils of secrecy and time,† Bingaman said. â€Å"†¦I introduced this legislation – to salute these brave and innovative Native Americans, to acknowledge the great contribution they made to the Nation at a time of war, and to finally give them their rightful place in history.† Code Talkers Legacy The Navajo Code Talkers’ contributions to the U.S. military during World War II entered popular culture when the film â€Å"Windtalkers,† starring Nicolas Cage and Adam Beach, debuted in 2002. Although the movie received mixed reviews, it exposed a large swath of the public to World War II’s Native American heroes. The Navajo Code Talkers Foundation, an Arizona nonprofit, also functions to raise awareness about these skillful soldiers and celebrate Native American culture, history and heritage.

Aging Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Aging - Essay Example The questions have been in the mind of people for a century. However, despite the studies in the genetics and molecular biology, the mystery of controlling the lifespan of human is yet to be found (Nouwen & Gaffney, 2004). Many literatures have been put forward to explain the aging process, but none of them has been a success. The conventional aging literature believes that aging in not a genetically programmed. Modern theories in biological aging in humans can either be an error theory or a programmed theory. The programmed literatures believe that aging comes with a biological timetable, perhaps the continuous one in regulating the childhood development and growth. The regulation will depend on the expression of genes affecting systems that are responsible for defense response, maintenance, and repair. The damage theory emphasizes the assault of environment to the living organisms inducing the cumulative damage at different stages as the reason for aging (Cox, 2005). The programmed literature has three different categories; programmed longevity, endocrine theory, and immunology theory. According to programmed longevity, aging arises from sequential putting on and off for some of the genes. According to endocrine theory, the immune system can be programmed to decline with time, which arises to a rising vulnerability to diseases that are infectious and therefore aging and later death. It is researched that the immune system effectiveness peaks during puberty and slowly declines with the age advance. For instance, when a person grows older, the antibodies will lose effectiveness, and very few diseases will be combated by the body effectively, which leads to eventual death and cellular stress. The deregulated response of the immune has been connected to inflammation, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. Although direct relationship is yet to

Marketing Communication for Startford Upon Avon Essay

Marketing Communication for Startford Upon Avon - Essay Example Proceedings will commence with guided tours around various sections of the facility including the redeveloped auditorium, the Swan Theatre, the Observation Tower and the â€Å"One-Room† (Chambers 2004, 67). This shall then be followed by the airing of an hour long documentary that follows the exceptional account of how the theatre came to be. Some of the plays that will later be performed during the day will include Shakespeare’s very own Othello and Romeo and Juliet. Other plays that are lined up for that day include the Revenger’s Tragedy, The Magic Flute, Camino Real and The War of the Roses. Some of these plays shall include names of famous Hollywood actors such as Candice Bergen, Ewan McGregor, Bradley Cooper and the lovely Emma Stone in the performances. Visitors can find food and drinks at the Rooftop Bar and Restaurant as well as the Riverside Cafe and Terrace. The Royal Shakespeare Company intends to increase cultural awareness of potential visitors with regards to the various activities and opportunities that is offered at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The company intends to raise both domestic and international tourist visits within the area by defining the product and services they offer and thereby providing a high standard of cultural and diplomatic repertoire through cultural interactions. Another objective of the event is to provide to the target audience a variety of social activities that they can enjoy while visiting the area (Fill & Hughes 2008, 266). Key stakeholders in the media fraternity have been invited to contribute towards the success of the event. Both local and international television channels have confirmed their attendance in what is considered a crucial step towards the revitalization of the country’s tourism sector. Several Radio stations and newspaper agencies have also been invited to cover the

Education and equality of opportunity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Education and equality of opportunity - Essay Example Equality of opportunity in UK’s higher education system is provided for by the transparency practices observed during admissions (Schuetze & Slowey, 2013, p.269). The higher education admissions boards shun discriminatory practices when selecting and admitting students in higher learning institutions. This practice is consistent with the legal provisions that enforce right to education. In other words, gender, class, age, ethnicity, faith, disability, wealth, and sexual orientation are not the determining factors for admissions purposes (Brunswick, 2012, p.183). However, this does not rule out the occurrence of discriminatory practices in the UK education system. Cases of failure to admit qualified students have been reported, thereby raising concerns about the extent to which UK higher education system provides for equality of opportunity (HEFCE, 2008). The UK education sector is characterized by a large number of foreign student populations. It is important to note that the admission of foreign students in higher learning institutions is done in line with the available opportunities. Given this the high number of foreign students in the UK, it is undoubtedly true to conclude that the UK system has diversified its education opportunities. As result, equality of opportunity is not only provided to the locals, but also to the international student population. Merit is a vital factor that influences student enrolment in the UK higher education system. Whilst the system has been said to operate on a for-merit basis, the reliability, relevance, and validity of the process have been challenged (Parry, 2007, p.104). This follows concerns about the exact factors and variables that define merit. In regard to the merit factor, the equality of opportunity prospect has been more or less jeopardized. Notably, the admissions system works towards minimizing or alleviating

How to Properly Inform an Employee Regarding Their Evaluation Performance Essay Example for Free

How to Properly Inform an Employee Regarding Their Evaluation Performance Essay The topic scenario chosen is regarding an employee, Maria of Latino ancestry, who filed a complaint that she was unfairly eliminated for consideration of a promotion because of her distinctive accent. The current employee is a second-generation native-born American citizen, holds a graduate degree, have been employed with the company for 10 years and in her current position for seven years. Another employee, Alex an Anglo, is considered for the promotion instead of his fellow co-worker Maria. He holds a graduate degree, but has less time in the same position. He has been evaluated to show signs of advancement and ambition, as well as have a better job evaluation. Maria indicates that she is the only employee of race, color and sex in her current department. She accuses her supervisor, who is a white male, of being bias and claims that was the reason for her lower evaluation. She stated that her supervisor informed her that she was not considered for promotion due to the fear that their clients would have trouble understanding her accent. She alleges that the company is engaging in discriminatory practices. The company argues that Maria is a good employee but is often loud and aggressive in her approach to co-workers and supervisors and has had some problems with attendance and tardiness. Twice her supervisor has counseled her for tardiness, and once for absence, which each time she gave family problems as reasons. She justified that in each case a family member needed help and it was her duty to be there for the family member. When the issue of accent was introduced, it was acknowledged that it was a major consideration but was not because of discrimination. Maria often spoke very rapidly, and her accent made understanding difficult when she did. The company alleges that the ability to communicate clearly was an essential component of the job in question. This topic scenario was chosen so that managers or supervisors learn how to properly address an employee regarding their evaluation results. This topic is important to the study of cultural diversity because due to globalization, managers and supervisors will eventually come across multiple ethnic groups with different cultural backgrounds and nationalities. It is crucial for managers or supervisors to communicate and successfully solve conflict among diverse ethnic employees within a company. The student will expect to find how a manager or supervisor should determine what course of action is appropriate when conflict has risen about race, gender and accent in a company. Information about the EEOC and the law pertaining about this case will be introduced. Evaluation of the steps taken in this scenario will be explained as well as solutions, if any, will be given to properly execute effective communication. Statistical data will be presented about the increase of Hispanic occupation in the United States as well as gender in the workforce. Solutions on to how improve the company and its managers or supervisors will be given in order to prevent future unintentional discriminatory processes.

Bilingualism Essay -- essays research papers

The Limitations of Language   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 14th Amendment in the United States Constitution dictates that any citizen of the United States shall receive the equal protection of civil rights, with due process of the law and cannot be discriminated against based upon race, origin, sex, class or political affiliation. Thus, educational policy in the United States is focused on providing the equal opportunities for all students. One heated debate in American education policy making is the use of bilingual education in public schools. Because there is a growing number of students (especially those in grade school) whose home language is not English, major literacy and learning disparities are created when non-english speaking students enroll in public schools that teach in English only. Students with limited English proficiency will have to work harder to achieve the same level of other students whose home language is English. Bilingual education is a program designed to alleviate the educational inequaliti es and disparities caused by present educational system. The focus of bilingual education is to guarantee that these students: 1. Learn the basic subjects (math, science, reading, social studies) in their home language from the time they enter school. The advantage of teaching students with limited English proficiency the basic subjects in their home language is that they will promote their academic progress while learning the English language. 2. Learn...

Does Herodotus Offer Adequate Explanations for Colonisation

Does Herodotus offer adequate explanations for Greek colonisation in the archaic period? Herodotus gives all ancient historians invaluable insights into colonisation in the archaic period, despite having his well known limitations. We must overall regard his work ‘The Histories’ as an equal to archaeological evidence and Thucydides’ work when it comes to studying colonisation in this period. Before I begin this essay, however, I must first quickly define two crucial terms.The term ‘colonisation’ (as we mean it during the during the archaic period) has for some reason been debated at great length by ancient historians, who seem determined to remove it as far away from the imperial meaning of the word as possible. I don’t see why, as both have glaring similarities and only minute differences. They both involve one kind of people moving in significant numbers to a new place (where either a different kind of people or no people were present) and es tablishing their way of life in said location.The only real differences being the literal translation of the word in Greek meaning ‘home away from home’ or ‘trading place’ and the imperial meaning of the word leaning more towards the subjugation of the local inhabitants rather than the replacement of them (which was more common in archaic Greece). The second term is ‘Archaic Period’ which in this essay will be defined as the period from 800 to 478BC.To examine in detail Herodotus’ explanations for colonisation during this period I will examine to what extent he informs us on: land-hunger, trading considerations, drought[1]and I will also comment on his references to the Delphic oracle. I have picked these areas to judge Herodotus on, because they are the most regularly agreed upon reasons for colonisation occurring and therefore his comments on these areas have the potential to be most informative to us, as A.Graham eloquently sums up wi th ‘though a very large number of extant authors provide some piece of information relevant to the history of Greek colonisation only a few are of overriding influence†¦ their [Herodotus and Thucydides] importance lies in their relatively early date, although they belong to a period after the Archaic colonising movement, they are nearer to it than our other substantial sources’[2]. It is for this paramount reason that Herodotus’ comments on these subjects are so crucial to our study of colonisation.In scrutinizing Herodotus’ comments in this field I will look some of the examples that he uses, namely: Chalkedon, Sigeion, Egypt, Olbia and of course Cyrene. So through looking at the four main reasons for colonisation and cross-referencing it with the examples stated I will fully evaluate whether or not Herodotus is an adequate source to look to regarding the archaic colonisation period. It must also be mentioned at this point that ‘political facto rs’ would have also been a strong factor to consider, however, would take up the word count fully all by itself, so will be left for a another time.Land–hunger refers to one of the push factors that are widely believed to have caused many Greeks to leave their original homes in search of more land and in particular, more fertile land. We see this especially in the case of mainland Greece and the Peloponnese where there were less fertile plains and more arid and mountainous terrain Although Herodotus never explicitly tells us that this was a major cause for colonisation, we can infer from some of his writing that this would have been a factor.Herodotus enlightens us to the existence of a colony on the coast of the black seathat ‘have sanctuaries dedicated to the Greek gods and †¦ whose language is a mixture of Scythian and Greek’[3]. Now this alone does not specifically tell us that the Greeks moved to this area because it was particularly fertile or t hat their home region was lacking in enough land, but when you continue to read on and see that it was the Megarians who colonised Chalkedon[4] and Byzantium (located either side of the Bosphorus) then one can easily see the extent to which a Peloponnesian city-state would go to find new lands.This is a weak argument on its own, however, twinned with some basic knowledge of Antiquity it grows in strength. For instance anyone with knowledge of mainland Greek states will know that the Megarians were indeed very restricted with regards to land. They were squashed between the Peloponnesian League members such as Corinth, to the south, and Attica (ruled by Athens), to the north and east. The fact that they set up at least three colonies: Megara Hyblaea, Chalkedon and Byzantium, clearly indicates land-hunger, just as their geography would suggest.On top of this, anyone with a basic knowledge of antiquity would also be aware of the huge agricultural resources available around the black sea , proved by Athens’ later dependency on grain imports from this region during the Peloponnesian wars. The way in which Herodotus describes Cyrene as having a ‘hole in the sky’[5] (i. e. it rains more making the ground more fertile) can also be taken as a heavy hint as to why Cyrene was set up.My point being, when reading Herodotus, sometimes he must be used in conjunction with elementary knowledge to support or disprove points. In this case he has supported the idea that land-hunger was an adequate explanation for Greek colonisation though not explicitly telling us. One has to admit though that over the course of the whole work, Herodotus does fail to fully support this factor. Unless you are a primitivist, trading advantages had to be a substantial pull factor for your city to advocate colonisation.I will develop this argument assuming that the Greeks were an enterprising race because this is the argument that will prove to be entirely accepted in due course. Th e finest example of Herodotus explaining colonisation, in regards to trading motives, is his account of the settlement set up at the mouth of the River Nile called Naukratis. He declares ‘Naukratis was the only trading-station and there was no other in Egypt’[6] and goes on remark on the religious temples set up in honour of Zeus, Hera and Apollo naming Aeginetans, Samians and Milesians all present in the city.This was clearly a settlement set up with the aim of extending trade relations with the Egyptians for the benefit of Greeks. In a separate example though, one can again use basic knowledge of Hellenes in antiquity (the basic knowledge being that the Bosphorus was extremely important to trade even in archaic times) combined with Herodotus’ passage on Chalkedon[7] to see that control of the Bosphorus was important enough to trade that colonies were set up here on numerous occasions.Sigeion, just south of the Bosphorus and situated on the mouth of the river St rymon was (as Herodotus informs us) fought over furiously by Athens and Mytilene[8], again signifying the importance of trade to the foundation of colonies in the archaic period. So Herodotus then giving us comprehensive proof of trade being an adequate factor in the establishment of colonies in the archaic period. Dillon points to drought as one of the factors that lead directly to colonisation. No better example of this, in ancient literature, exists than the account of Cyrene’s foundation. For the next seven years, however, no rain fell on Thera, and all their trees, with a single exception, withered. ’[9] Now, following this short passage, we again encounter a common limitation of Herodotus, ‘The islanders consulted the oracle, and the Pythia reminding them that they were supposed to colonise Libya’[10]; that is his continuous permeation of oracles into most of his work. This is not to say that we can disregard ancient historians’ reference†™s to all oracle’s all the time, but it is of my own opinion that we take much of Herodotus’ oracular reports with a pinch of salt.So although Herodotus may have been reported a tale of curses and prophecies regarding Thera’s drought, I would take his account and remedy a notion that what was most likely to have occurred was: that the Therans had some bad luck with the weather for a indeterminate period of time and as a result could not sustain the population they included†¦ so, decided to relieve pressure on the city by sending a portion of its population to a land where they could survive (or perhaps even sustain the original colony? . To clarify my earlier ‘pinch of salt’ phrase it moves me to use the words of M. Giangiulio expressing the idea that ‘cultural memory does not ‘reflect’ historical reality, even if it expresses a form of historical self-awareness’[11]. This is the sense in which I believe we should us e Herodotus, using our modern sense of hindsight and sensibility to understand ‘historical reality’ more accurately. For further details on ‘intentional history’[12] see footnote.This is the most blatant example I have touched on so far of Herodotus supporting one of the five stated reasons for colonisation and therefore yet again going some way to adequately explaining Greek colonisation in the archaic period. The Delphic Oracle is central to the explaining of why many colonies are set up. Maurizio Giangiulio supports this line of argument by telling us ‘The decisive role played by the Delphic oracle is very strongly emphasized, through various narrative devices’[13] in this case Herodotus: ‘the oracle declared that he would found a community in Libya’[14].It is ion this way that Herodotus is able to properly shed light on a crucial part of explaining the colonising process, making evident that it was foolhardy to go on an expedit ion without the expressed will of the gods ‘the importance attached to the god’s will is an integral part of a representational strategy [of a colony]’ states Giangiulio, extending this with ‘Cyrene represent themselves- it would seem –as a polies which stood high in Apollo’s favour’[15]. To conclude, there is no denying that Herodotus has his flaws in providing explanations for Greek colonisation.I am not pushing the argument that Herodotus is an infallible source on every case study he mentions either. What must be clear though after reading this essay is that Herodotus can be used with great effectiveness to inform us on the explanations of Greek colonisation. Simple guidelines can be fitted to reading his work that allow one to see past what modern minds would usually consider fantasy, but which can really help reveal the truth in many of the cases he does use.He supports three of the four reasons very strongly, and even if he does fall short in regards to land-hunger he more than makes up for it by placing huge emphasis on the importance of oracles and trading which must be considered the principal reason for explaining in the archaic period. Words: 1,961 ———————– [1] Dillon, Ancient Greece, 2000, Routledge, pp. 1 I have not looked at political consideration only due to my word count being limited to 2000, not through sloth or lack of interest. 2] Boardman, 1982, pp. 85 (Cambridge Ancient History) [3] Herodotus, 4. 108. [4] Herodotus, 4. 144 [5] Herodotus, 4. 159 [6] Herodotus, 2. 152-154, 178-181 [7] Herodotus, 4. 144 [8] 5. 94-95 [9] 4. 151 [10] 4. 151 [11] M. Giangiulio, Constructing the past: colonial traditions and the writing of history ‘the case of Cyrene’, in N. Luraghi The Historian’s Craft in the age of Herodotus, 2001, pp. 120 [12] H.Gehrke, Mythos, Geschicte, Politik-antik und modern, 1994 pp. 239-64 [13] M. Giangiulio, Co nstructing the past: colonial traditions and the writing of history ‘the case of Cyrene’, in N. Luraghi The Historian’s Craft in the age of Herodotus, 2001, pp. 117 [14] 4. 150 [15] M. Giangiulio, Constructing the past: colonial traditions and the writing of history ‘the case of Cyrene’, in N. Luraghi The Historian’s Craft in the age of Herodotus, 2001, pp. 118