The First Twenty-nine Booth

The First 29 booth was a HUGE success. This was the first time since 2001 that families of the First Twenty-nine Navajo Code Talkers came together.  The Gorman Family is thankful to everyone who helped make the reunion possible! It was appropriate to bring as many together as possible in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of when this successful pilot group of men were recruited. 

Each of the people below gave their time, resources, and/ or opened their wallets to support the First 29 booth at Navajo Code Talker Day 2017! We cannot thank them enough since we know it would not have happened without their large hearts!! THANK YOU!

Fuzzy and Gail Melton

Sheena Begay

Verna Marianto

Thurman Begay 

Eugene Crawford

Ellis Tanner

Alex Jones

Kenji and Ruth Kawano

Mark Crawford

Seventy-five years ago...

Twenty-nine young Navajo men volunteered to serve in the US Marine Corps. This year, at Navajo Code Talker Day, there will be a booth honoring the 75th anniversary and these men. The booth space is spearheaded by the Gorman and Crawford families and we are looking to get as many First Twenty-nine families together as possible. 

This booth is communal and will specifically highlight the First Twenty-nine story this year. We know each Navajo Code Talker and their stories are unique and expand their roles as Marines. In addition, we know many families have unheard tales to tell. This is why we are encouraging First 29 families to create something to tell these deeper stories. 

General Information

Date: August 13 & 14, 2017

Location: Navajo Veterans Park, Window Rock, AZ

Schedule of Events

August 13, 2017

9:00 am - Generations of Honor 5k run/ walk

                  Preregistration HERE

12pm (noon) - Gourd Dance; At Navajo Veterans Park

                   *Please bring your own chairs for this gathering

7:00pm - Young Marines Fire side with families and friends

August 14, 2017

9:00 am Navajo Code Talker Parade (See below for more info) 

10:00am Formal Agenda; At Navajo Veterans Park

12:00pm (noon) Luncheon; Includes entertainment by the US Marine Corps Band!!!!

Info for First 29 families

So far we have 12 First 29 Navajo Code Talkers represented!!!! And 2 additional people represented who are a part of the history of the Navajo Code Talker Program

1. James Dixon

2. Lowell Damon

3. Bill Dene Yazzie (he changed his name to William Dean Wilson after WWII)

4. Carl N. Gorman

5. Eugene R. Crawford

6. Roy L. Begay

7. Johnny R. Manuelito

8. Samuel H. Begay

9. Lloyd Oliver

10. Nelson Thompson

11. William McCabe

12. John Benally

13. Felix Yazzie (Navajo Code Talker Trainer)

14. George Clinton (The 30th Man!)

How you can participate!

1. Meet and greet at the First 29 booth!  This is the main goal of this booth. We want the First 29 families to connect again. So come and tell everyone about yourself and what you know about your Navajo Code Talker. And learn about others :) The booth will be up on August 14, 2017 only.

2. Create something concrete to share at the First 29 booth! We WANT to learn more about your Code Talker through pictures, written stories, newspaper clipping, personal artifacts, or anything else that you feel is important to share. Again, space is limited, but please use your creativity! Please do not bring original copies of any photos or documents. You can make copies and share those! The booth will be up on August 14, 2017 only.

3. Create a float for the parade! The parade is for us. So decorate a car or truck, or get the family together to walk with a banner with a picture of your Navajo Code Talker. This is only limited to your creativity too. The parade is on August 14, 2017 only.

4. Help with making the booth happen! There is a lot to get done and we've accomplished much already with the support of several people, and the list keeps growing (thank you)!  As you know, there are no fees to participate in the event itself. Your only costs are what you need to design your float or what you create for the booth to highlight your First 29 Code Talker. With that, it does cost money to make things happen and why we are sharing the budget for the booth so we can be transparent and to let others know how they can contribute remembering the First 29*. As stated earlier, many costs are covered by families donating resources or providing small contributions to help remember our heroes. So if you have a tent or chairs, it all helps!  So if you can help make the booth happen, contact Anthony Gorman at +1 (505) 409-4490

5. Spread the word! Even if you can't attend this year, let others know about what we are doing. Let them know about Navajo Code Talker Day overall so all Navajo Code Talkers can be remembered. Also, a crowdfunding camping is live to help raise money for the whole event since there are more line items to get covered to make the whole weekend enjoyable by all. 

Go to our fundraising page! And please post to Facebook or email it personally to people you know support the Navajo Code Talkers.  The more people who hear about us, the more likely we are to meet our target!

We are working along side the Navajo Code Talker Day Committee to make everything happen.  Like the official Navajo Code Talker Day Facebook page @NavajoCodeTalkerDay

*Each item on our budget is how we fully envision the booth. As we get closer to the event, adjustments may be made.  We fully welcome you with open arms to make this happen at the largest level. 

Parade Information

The parade starts at 9am on August 14, 2017.

For those participating in the parade, sign in for the Parade is at 8am at the Navajo Nation Museum Parking lot (The museum will be open for restroom use).

If you need to register for the parade still, you can download the registration form below. Please return the registration form to Ric Hoskie at ric.hoskie@gmail.com, or to the Navajo Code Talker Day Committee. Please make sure you receive confirmation. 

*Only Navajo Code Talkers and Families of NCT are permitted to participate in the parade with a few exceptions. Submit a form if you think you qualify to join.

More questions?

Reach out to us if you have any further questions or to let us know how you want to participate :) 

Contact Anthony Gorman at +1 (505) 409-4490 or at thefirsttwentynine@gmail.com