As a child , Chester Nez was punished for speaking Navajo . Nez says recognition as a code talker came late , but was good when it did . Nez was one of 29 Navajos recruited to develop the code . Military authorities chose Navajo as a code language because its syntax and tonal qualities were almost impossible for a non-Navajo to learn , and it had no written form . Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos:Navajo language and culture
As a child , Chester Nez was punished for speaking Navajo . Nez says recognition as a code talker came late , but was good when it did . Nez was one of 29 Navajos recruited to develop the code . Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos:Navajo language and culture