Code Talkers
Starsky and Hutch were having a slow day. They were spending time at their desks catching up on some paperwork. Captain Dobey was in meetings all day, so they were able to get through the work without feeling rushed. Paperwork was not a favorite with either, but a quiet day was sometimes very welcome. When they were through they decided to head to Huggy's for dinner and maybe some pool.
The partners were having a nice evening hanging out with their friend, Huggy. Starsky looked at his watch and was surprised at how late it was.
"Hey Hutch, we should probably get out of here. It is almost midnight already and we have to be in at eight."
Hutch nodded, "Right Starsk, we better go. See you later Hug, have a good night."
With that, they left. With it being so late, Hutch decided to crash at Starsky's so they could sleep a little more.
They were about half way to Starsky's when Hutch heard the unmistakable sound of a fight. He motioned Starsky to turn down the alley to the right. They got about halfway through the alley when they saw what appeared to be one man fighting with several others.
Starsky shined a light on the scene while Hutch got out of the car holding his badge up.
Hutch yelled, "Police, what's going on here?"
The fight immediately stopped and all but one of the combatants ran off.
Hutch walked up to the man that did not run. "Keep your hands where I can see them and tell me what this was about."
The man held his hands well away from his body, "Officer, I was just on my way home from work when those punks jumped me. They got a little more than they bargained for."
Starsky came forward, "Looks like you have some hand to hand training. Did you serve?"
The man nodded, "Yes sir, Marines."
Starsky held his hand out, "My name is Starsky, this is my partner Hutch. Were you in country?"
The man shook Starsky's hand, "Yes, I was in a Communications Unit. Name is Chayton Descheene."
Hutch was surprised at Starsky's intake of breath when the man introduced himself. He was about to ask when his partner spoke again. Hutch was surprised again at the obvious note of respect in his partner's tone.
"Are you a Code Talker?"
Chayton smiled, "I used to be. Now, I am a Security Guard at the shipping office down on the docks. I am just finishing up my week."
Starsky was almost beside himself. Hutch was getting more and more curious.
Starsky spoke again, "Hey Chayton, how about we give you a ride the rest of the way home? If you're off tomorrow, I would be honored to treat you and your family to dinner. Are you willing to talk about Nam? I have questions."
Chayton was just a little flushed, but agreed to have dinner, and a talk, with his obviously excited new friend.
After dropping their passenger off and making their way to Starsky's apartment, Hutch was wanting to ask what was going on. He was worried if he said anything Starsky would pop.
Starsky was ready to pop. As soon as they got in his apartment he started talking. Almost faster than Hutch could listen.
"Hutch, do you even know who was in my car tonight? Have you ever heard of Code Talkers? I just knew he had to be when he said he was in the Communications Unit. All the Native Americans in the Marine Communications Unit were Code Talkers."
Hutch shook his head, "No Buddy, I have no idea. Judging by your reaction, it is something big."
"Big! Hutch, the Code Talkers were instrumental in a lot of guys living long enough to get home!"
Hutch was impressed, "That's great! Is it good with you if I tag along tomorrow? I'd like to hear more from this guy too. Right now, we need to get some sleep or we won't be any good at work."
The next day the partners were out on their beat. Starsky was determined to wait for dinner to talk about it. He seemed to be jumping out of his skin all day. Hutch was glad for a relatively uneventful watch. He wasn't sure Starsky could handle anything big without exploding.
The watch finally ended and they headed over to Huggy's to wait for Clayton and his wife. Starsky wanted to go there for dinner so Huggy could hear about it too. Hutch had to admit, he was anxious for the evening also. He had never seen his partner this excited about something that involved his stint in the army. It was the one part of Starsky's life he kept hidden.
They got settled at a table and made sure Huggy would be able to join them once the invited couple had arrived. It wasn't long before Chayton showed up with a strikingly beautiful lady on his arm. He introduced her as Aponi.
Huggy put in their order and then returned to join them as they waited for the food. He brought a round of beers for the men and an iced tea for Aponi. Seems they were expecting their first child and she did not want to drink alcohol.
Aponi cleared her throat, "Chayton told me what you did for him last night. He assures me he could have handled them, but I am thankful he did not have to."
While they were eating Huggy asked about their interesting names.
Chayton smiled, "In the Navajo culture it is common to give names with meaning. My name means falcon, Aponi means butterfly. I think it means we are meant to fly together."
After the dishes were cleared Starsky finally got to ask his questions.
"Chayton, the rumors we heard were true, right? The Code Talkers had an unbreakable code?"
Nodding, their new friend answered, "Yes, that is true. It was a combination of the Navajo language translated with English, and sometimes Navajo words replacing letters in the English to spell words. Part of the reason it was unbreakable was because Navajo was not the only Native language used. Their were Code Talkers from other tribes too."
Hutch was impressed, and had a question. "Why doesn't anybody know about this?"
"Until a few years ago, it was all classified. We were not even allowed to talk about it to our families. I only found out about my father and grandfather after I became a Code Talker."
Now Huggy was surprised, "Your Grandfather? How long has this been going on?"
They could tell Chayton was very proud of this heritage.
"The first Code Talkers were during WWI. My grandfather was one of the first. There were not many during that war. They figured out what they had and when WWII started, they actually recruited for the job. Code Talkers were also used in Korea, but none of my family served in that war."
He continued, "Unfortunately, because it was classified, Code Talkers never got the recognition they should have."
Starsky was upset by this, "You mean, all you did to keep so many soldiers safe, and no one even knows? Now that it is unclassified, do you think that will change?"
Chayton shook his head, "I really don't know, but I hope so. Grandpa is nearly 80 and Dad is 55. It would be nice if they received what they deserve for what they did."
Hutch had gotten very thoughtful. He turned to his partner. "Hey Starsk, we know an awful lot of folks that are military or former military. I think anyone who served during war time would have been affected by these guys. Why don't we see what we can do?"
Facts*
In 1968 the Code Talker operation was declassified.
In 1982 President Reagan gave the Code Talkers a Certificate of Recognition and declared August 14 National Code Talkers Day
In 2000 President Clinton awarded Congressional Gold Medals to the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers recruited for WWII. He awarded Silver Medals to everyone who qualified as a Code Talker.
In 2007 and 2011 Arizona and Texas recognized Hopi and Choctaw Code Talkers.
In 2008 President Bush awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to every Code Talker that served in any war. With the exception of the 29 Navajo who had already received one.