They were sworn to secrecy.

They could not tell anyone what they did — not friends, family or anyone.

Keith Little, one of the few remaining Navajo Code Talkers, spoke about their involvement in World War II on Monday night in the Bovee University Center Rotunda.

Navajo Code Talkers were a group of Navajo Native Americans who worked as communication specialists for the United States Marine Corp in the battles against Japan. They used their language to send messages from one unit to another so the Japanese could not decipher the code and learn the Marines’ next move.

“In my training I was asked if I was a Navajo. I said yes and they channeled me into communication school,” Little said. “They told us we had done something unusual and unique. The code was made in such as way that it would only confuse the listener. It took us three months to master our code.”

After coming home from the Pacific in WWII the code talkers were sworn to secrecy for more than 20 years to never reveal what they had done in the war.

In 1968, however, the U.S. government declassified the Navajo Code and opened it up on public record. The Navajo Code Talkers still did not receive any recognition until 2001 when they were given Congressional Medals of Honor.

Amber Anderson, member of Central Michigan University Program Board, said this is what inspired her to bring Little to talk about the code talkers.

“A lot of people don’t know what they did in World War II. It’s important for people to know,” Anderson said.

The Navajo language was chosen as a code language in WWII because of its complexity, Little said. The Navajo language is very difficult to learn and master, as it has no alphabet.

“You must be a fluent speaker to understand,” Little said, “They have to know everything about Navajo life.”

Anderson said she first learned of the Navajo Code Talkers when watching “Windtalkers.”

“I realized I really didn’t know a lot about it. I figured that there may be other people who don’t know much about the Navajo Code Talkers,” she said.

Freshmen Jessica Southward of Blissfield and Katie Bryant of Bay City said the event was very informative and filled with entertaining facts.

“It was interesting to find out how much work they did in World War II,” Southward said.

The Navajo Code is the only code that has never been deciphered, Little said.

“There is a code for every war and they have all been broken, but the Navajo code was never decoded,” Little said.

E-mail the author: Seth Nietering