On April 12, 1861, the American Civil War began. This date will forever go down in history as the start of the bloodiest war in America. Prior to this day, Abraham Lincoln's presidential victory led the southern states to succeed from the Union. The succession came out of the issue of slavery. Lincoln's refusal to remove Union soldiers out of the South began the Confederate's attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
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.