National Archives and Records Administration

Navajo Code Talkers Henry Bake and George Kirk in December 1943.

A Navajo Code Talkers Day celebration will take place at the Wesley Bolin Plaza at the state Capitol on Monday.

Descendants and dignitaries are expected to honor the past members of the U.S. military who were instrumental to the allies victory in World War II.

This is the second official celebration in Phoenix that commemorates the Navajo Code Talkers. They played a prominent role in World War II by developing a code based on their native language for communications. The code transmitted important messages without ever being broken.

While former President Reagan gave federal recognition to Navajo Code Talkers Day, it did not become a state holiday until former Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation in 2021 to make it one.