WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. - A Navajo Code Talker who effortlessly recalled using his native language to confound the Japanese in World War II has died.
The Navajo Nation says Roy Hawthorne Sr. died Saturday. He was 92.
Hawthorne enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at age 17. He became part of a famed group of Navajos who transmitted hundreds of messages in their language without error. The code was never broken.
Hawthorne had been one of the most visible survivors of the group. He appeared at public events and served as vice president of a group representing the men.
According to the Navajo Nation Council, Hawthorne was honored in an event at Camp Pendleton in 2015.
“The longer we live, the more we realize the importance of what we did, but we’re still not heroes – not in my mind,” said Hawthorne at that event.
He never considered himself a hero.
Hawthorne later enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the Korean War.
He's survived by five children and more than a dozen grandchildren.
Visitation will be held Thursday at 5 p.m. at Rollie mortuary in Tse Bonito, New Mexico. A funeral service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday in Lupton.
PHOTOS: Honoring the Navajo Code Talkers