A recap on the historical events that occurred on March 8th is given to us by Russ Mitchell in this video clip from This Day in History. In 1948, the US Supreme Court ruled that religious teachings in schools was unconstitutional. Also on this day, the Confederate iron clad war ship Virginia sank two Union war ships off the coast of Virginia. The major league baseball player Joe DiMaggio passed away in 1999. Revolution began in Russia, which resulted in Nicholas II abdicating his throne. His abdication led to the communist take over of Russia.
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.