The Marines

Character Analysis

There are more than just a few Marines mentioned in Code Talker, but they all are super-proud.

The Marines are the dudes who kick butt in Code Talker. They're a branch of the U.S. Navy, and as we might be able to tell from their name, their job is to fight from the water (though that's not all they do; they're also good at fighting their country's battles on land and air).

Chester thinks very highly of the Marines. After all, they're the division of the military that he signs up to join. He's a proud Marine not only because he wears their uniform, but because they treat him well. Chester gets on well with his fellow Navajo Marines and the non-Navajo Marines. He tells us:

We Marines all enjoyed a special camaraderie. I had trusted my life—over and over—to this [non-Navajo] Marine and to others. They, in turn, had entrusted their lives to us and our critical transmissions. (14.59)

The Marines work together, trust each other, and look out for one another.

The fact that Chester and his code-talking buddies are Navajos doesn't seem to affect their treatment by the other Marines. Chester says that:

I had been accepted by the other Marines as a competent combatant. I had been respected and treated as an equal by men who—I'd been warned on the reservation—might look down on Native Americans. (17.15)

This is significant because we might remember that during World War II, there was still a lot of segregation based on race in the American military. African-Americans were especially targeted. Chester says as much when he tells us that:

[i]n a time when black and white soldiers, and even blood supplies, were segregated, the Marines put absolute trust in us Navajo men. (15.41)

Had Chester been African-American, he may not have been treated so well by the Marines (which is crazy and horrible). But, his own experience as a Navajo is a positive one, and it reflects well on the Marines. This is even more impressive given the fact that the Navajo weren't allowed to vote (yep—you read that correctly) until 1947.

In the book, the Marines reflect the heroism of the U.S. military during World War II. If it weren't for the smarts and fighting skills of the Marines, the U.S. may have very well lost the war.