Navajo code talkers and ritchie boys

By mrohrbaugh

  • Nazi Power

    Nazis started their attacks on Jews during this time, which made the Ritchie Boys wanting to come to the U.S.
  • Period: to

    WWII

  • Ritchie Boys come to the United States

    Many of the Ritchie Boys started coming into the United States anytime during 1941. Some didn't come straight to the United States but they eventually came to the U.S.

  • Navajo Code Talkers Begin

    First 29 recruits attended boot camp at Camp Pendleton.

  • First class of Ritchie Boys

    First class of recruits for Camp Ritchie's intelligence soldiers begins training. ​

  • Convincing authority to use the code talkers

    Philip Johnston traveled to Camp Elliot to convince Lieutenant Colonel James E. Jones that a Navajo language code would be difficult for enemies to decipher.

  • Further success for the code talkers to be established

    Johnston returned to Camp Elliott with four Native American men to prove that the Navajo code was successful by translating the ​military code to Marine staff officers.

  • Trained Code Talkers

    Around two hundred Navajos were officially trained in code at Camp Pendelton.

  • Ritchie Boys in England

    Before the invasion of Normandy, the Ritchie Boys were stationed, in separate units but still together, in England. They interrogated German prisoners of war while they were there.

  • Battle of Imo Jima

    The Navajo Code Talkers transmitted messages for the battle. Without them, ​the marines wouldn't have been able to win the battle.

  • Dictionary was created

    The Navajo Code Talkers created a dictionary by the recruits.

  • V-E-Day

    Germany surrenders in WWII.

  • Certificate of Appreciation

    President Nixon presented the Navajo Code Talkers with a certificate of appreciation thanking them for their patriotism, resourcefulness, and courage in the Marine Corps.

  • Fort Ritchie Closes

    After many years of military training, the historical Fort Ritchie in Maryland closes.

  • Book About the Ritchie Boys

    A book was published about the unheard of group, the Ritchie Boys. It talks about their story and what they did in WWII.

  • Code Talker Recognition Act

    Was created by President Bush and the government. It was created to recognize them for their important work during the war.