5 Groundbreaking Native Americans You Should Know

Samuel Sandoval, one of the last original Navajo Code Talkers, recalls enlisting in the Marines at 18 to help create an unbreakable code. Using their sacred, unwritten language, he and his brothers-in-arms forged a secret weapon that never fell to the enemy.

Historian Zonnie Gorman shares the legacy of the Navajo Code Talkers, including her father, Carl. These heroes used their native language to help secure every major Pacific battle. As Major Connor noted, without them, Iwo Jima would never have been taken.

Piestewa kept true to her roots and made the ultimate sacrifice for her comrades in battle.

In WWII, Native American Code Talkers created an unbreakable code for Allied transmissions, but the strategy began in WWI amid persecution at home.