NYC parade to honor Code Talkers

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Some very special New Mexicans are on their way to New York to take part in the annual Veterans Day parade: eight Navajo Code Talkers .

The Code Talkers were treated like royalty On Friday as they arrived at the Albuquerque Sunport and at the gate where Southwest Airlines staff announced their presence.

"We have a very special group of men traveling with us today," one said in the through the public-address system. "We have a few of the original Navajo Code Talkers.

"They are traveling on Southwest all the way to New York city for the Veterans Day parade. We thought in honor of the Navajo Code Talkers and service to our country, you'd like to learn a little bit about who they are and what they did for us."

The group of eight is among the 400 Code Talkers who are credited with helping end World War II by creating am unbreakable code from their native Navajo language.

Code Talker Bill Toledo also took the microphone and shared some of the code.

"Repeat after me," Toledo said before quoting a phrase in Navajo. "Now you are all Navajo Code Talkers."

The group got a big round of applause with people saying it was a privilege to meet the men.

While there were a total of 400 Code Talkers, the original group was comprised of only 29.

The only one of the 29 still living is Chester Nez, who is now 91 and living in Albuquerque.

Nez is scheduled to receive a degree from the University of Kansas on Monday.

He attended the university but left after three years because his GI Bill funds ran out.