Joe Vandever Sr., a member ofthe top-secret Navajo Code Talker program that developed an unbreakable code language during World War II, has died, according to Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.
Vandever was 96; his family says he died from health complications, according to Nez. He died Friday morning in Haystack, New Mexico, Nez said, five days shy of his 97th birthday.
“Joe Vandever, Sr. was a great warrior and a compassionate family man. In every aspect of his life, he was a loving person who cared greatly for his people,” Navajo Vice President Myron Lizer said.
Vandever served largely in the Pacific region during his service in the US military. He enlisted with the Marine Corps in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on March 26, 1943, and was honorably discharged as corporal on January 22, 1946.
Vandever wasone of hundreds of Navajo tribe members who were trained as code talkers in World War II. Between 375 and 420 Navajos used a secret code language to send information on tactics, troop movements and orders over the radio and telephone during the war. The language was indecipherable to the Japanese and a key factor in American military victories at Iwo Jima, Saipan and several other major battles.
Vandever was married for 73 years to his wife, Bessie D. Vandever, who died last September, Nez said. Vandever is survived by eight children, 36 grandchildren, 55 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was one of many to pay her respects to Vandever, saying she is “forever grateful to the Navajo Code Talkers for their incredible service to the nation.”
I am forever grateful to the Navajo Code Talkers for their incredible service to the nation, and I know all New Mexicans share that gratitude with me. My thoughts and prayers are with Joe Vandever's family – may he rest in peace.https://t.co/LsJ0DlVTyV
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG)February 2, 2020
Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona, a former fighter pilot and veteran, also tweeted her condolences.
“Saddened to learn of the loss of Joe Vandever Sr. I had the honor of meeting this hero last August in Window Rock on National Navajo Code Talkers Day. As a teenager, he bravely answered the call to serve our country in WWII.”
CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.