Legacy
- Remembering his gold medal and all the recognition he's received, Chester reflects on his life in this final chapter.
- It's been quite a life. It was full of challenges: everything from war, divorce, to the death of his children, but he's weathered them all.
- What's especially satisfying for him, though, is that he and his fellow code talkers have become part of a new oral and written tradition.
- It's a tradition that celebrates the Navajos' contribution to defending their country during World War II.
- The code talkers' story is not one of sorrow, like the Long Walk or the Great Livestock Massacre. It's a story of triumph. Hells yeah.
As of January 2011
- Chester's tells us that his son Ray died in May 2008, and Dora, his sister, died during Christmas that same year. Mike and Tyah are the only survivors of his six children.
- Another celebration is held for Chester in Chichiltah on Father's Day, June 20, 2010. (Can we get enough of celebrating this guy? Nope).
- Three code talkers—Thomas Begay, Robert Walley, and Chester—are honored. Chester is the only one of the "original twenty-nine" attending.
- Chester remembers giving a talk to kindergartners. He'd tried to make them understand why the Navajo code was so important in winning the war.
- Even though Chester is ill with diabetes and both of his legs have been amputated, he continues to do book signings, attend award ceremonies, and give speeches.
- He tells us that he always travels with a medicine bag in his pocket. That medicine bag has sure done a lot to keep Chester safe.
- Chester Nez died in 2014 at the age of 93.