Representing the spirit of the Navajo Code Talkers, the Navajo Code Talker Tribute is a large statue that defines a commercial office complex in Phoenix, Arizona. The monument honors legendary figures in military and cryptography history in a way that has become an attraction for the area and created a powerful identity for the Phoenix Plaza commercial office complex.
The Code That Was Never Broken
The Navajo Code Talkers were a group of more than 400 U.S. Marines who came up with and utilized a secret code to keep communications from being intercepted during World War II. Between 1942 and 1945, the Navajo Code Talkers used this code and their skills as radio operators to provide a secure method of communication to help support American operations. The Code Talkers used the Navajo language as the basis for this code that was never broken.
Created in 1989 by Doug Hyde, the Navajo Code Talker Tribute is the first permanent tribute to honor these Navajo Code Talkers. He sought to include symbols that would be understood by all Native American tribes at a scale that would inspire and awe audiences.
The sculpture depicts a Code Talker in traditional attire rather than World War II fatigues. It also carries a flute rather than the radios that actual Code Talkers utilized. The flute was the traditional communications tool used by Native Americans to signal the end of confrontation and the coming of peace. Depicting the figure in this manner has connected the sculpture to Code Talker history and to traditional Navajo culture.
The shops and stores at the Phoenix Plaza have benefitted from the interest and activity that the sculpture has cultivated by celebrating both of these elements. The shopping strip across the street from the memorial has further seen increased traffic, while the Code Talker Memorial at the Wesley Bolin Plaza highlights the far-reaching impact that the creation of such pieces can enable. All of these developments showcase the positive impact that monuments can enable when they provide an entire space or area with an identity.
Honoring the Legacy of the Navajo Code Talkers
Code talkers were credited with important roles in the successful campaigns throughout World War II, but these efforts were not well known in the many decades after the war. The Navajo Code Talker Tribute ensured this legacy would be celebrated in a way that has cultivated interest and attention at the Phoenix Plaza but has expanded across the city and beyond.
