Merril Sandoval
Encyclopedia
Merril Sandoval was an American
Navajo
World War II
veteran and a member of the Navajo Code Talkers, a group of United States Marines who transmitted important messages in their native Navajo language
in order to stop the Japan
ese from intercepting sensitive material. Sandoval took part in every Marine landing in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
from 1943 until 1945.
. His first language was Navajo. He attended Farmington Methodist Mission School where he learned to speak English.
Sandoval's paternal clan was the Red Bottom People. His maternal clan was the Zuni-Edgewater, who are also known as .
Sandoval boarded a train to Santa Fe, New Mexico
, when he was 17 years old, where he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1943. He completed boot camp in San Diego before being transferred to Camp Pendleton's Radio Communication School, where he was trained to become a code talker.
He was initially sent to Hawaii
by the Marines. Throughout World War II, Sandoval served with both the 2nd and 5th Marine Divisions. Sandoval's main mission was to remain behind the front lines in order to translate reports from two-man code talker teams in other parts of the battlefield. He then sent the messages, which were encoded in Navajo, back to United States commanders who were based on Hawaii. He also had the responsibility of passing orders to Marines on the front lines.
Sandoval saw action in Iwo Jima
, Saipan
and Allied occupied Japan. During the Battle of Iwo Jima
, Sandoval's landing craft was hit by enemy fire. He and his radio company were thrown into the Pacific Ocean. He managed to swim approximately 100 yards to the Iwo Jima beach, where he survived a constant barrage of shelling by the Japanese for the next twenty-four hours.
Sandoval was honorably discharged from the military in March 1946 as a U.S. Marine corporal
. He returned to the United States in order to finish high school. Sandoval and other Code Talkers were ordered to keep their work in the Pacific a secret following the war. His own family did not learn about the importance of his missions until information concerning the Navajo Code Talkers was declassified
in 1968.
Soon after his marriage, he took a job as a machinist
at the Garrett AiResearch
facility in Phoenix, Arizona
, where he worked for 15 years. He and his family moved to Lorraine's hometown of Tuba City, AZ on the Navajo Nation
in 1963, where he joined the Navajo Tribal Police Force, which he served in for three years. He then became a legal advocate for D.N.A. Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm
. He retired from the organization after 23 years. Sandoval then worked as an interpreter
for the Navajo legal courts for an additional sixteen years.
in Phoenix. He had been in failing health for the preceding year. He and his wife of 56 years, Lorraine, had been residents of Tuba City, Arizona
, for many years. He was survived by his wife and four children. He had 17 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
Sandoval received a full military burial in Flagstaff, Arizona
. Navajo President Joe Shirley, Jr.
ordered flags to be flown at half staff from February 13 to 16 in his honor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran and a member of the Navajo Code Talkers, a group of United States Marines who transmitted important messages in their native Navajo language
Navajo language
Navajo or Navaho is an Athabaskan language spoken in the southwestern United States. It is geographically and linguistically one of the Southern Athabaskan languages .Navajo has more speakers than any other Native American language north of the...
in order to stop the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese from intercepting sensitive material. Sandoval took part in every Marine landing in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
from 1943 until 1945.
Early life
Merril Sandoval was born on April 18, 1924, in Nageezi, New MexicoNageezi, New Mexico
Nageezi is a census-designated place in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 296 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Farmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Nageezi is located at ....
. His first language was Navajo. He attended Farmington Methodist Mission School where he learned to speak English.
Sandoval's paternal clan was the Red Bottom People. His maternal clan was the Zuni-Edgewater, who are also known as .
Navajo Code Talkers
Sandoval was only a freshman in high school when he was first approached by United States Marine recruiters. His brother, Samuel Sandoval, enlisted. However, Sandoval's father, Julian Sandoval, insisted that Sandoval, who was then sixteen years old, was too young to join the Marines. Sandoval was allowed to join the Marines by his father one year later. He never worked with his brother, Samuel, who was also a code talker during the war.Sandoval boarded a train to Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, when he was 17 years old, where he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1943. He completed boot camp in San Diego before being transferred to Camp Pendleton's Radio Communication School, where he was trained to become a code talker.
He was initially sent to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
by the Marines. Throughout World War II, Sandoval served with both the 2nd and 5th Marine Divisions. Sandoval's main mission was to remain behind the front lines in order to translate reports from two-man code talker teams in other parts of the battlefield. He then sent the messages, which were encoded in Navajo, back to United States commanders who were based on Hawaii. He also had the responsibility of passing orders to Marines on the front lines.
Sandoval saw action in Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
, Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
and Allied occupied Japan. During the Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
, Sandoval's landing craft was hit by enemy fire. He and his radio company were thrown into the Pacific Ocean. He managed to swim approximately 100 yards to the Iwo Jima beach, where he survived a constant barrage of shelling by the Japanese for the next twenty-four hours.
Sandoval was honorably discharged from the military in March 1946 as a U.S. Marine corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
. He returned to the United States in order to finish high school. Sandoval and other Code Talkers were ordered to keep their work in the Pacific a secret following the war. His own family did not learn about the importance of his missions until information concerning the Navajo Code Talkers was declassified
Classified information
Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation...
in 1968.
Post World War II
Sandoval married Lorraine Humetewa Shingoitewa Sandoval in 1951. They had five children.Soon after his marriage, he took a job as a machinist
Machinist
A machinist is a person who uses machine tools to make or modify parts, primarily metal parts, a process known as machining. This is accomplished by using machine tools to cut away excess material much as a woodcarver cuts away excess wood to produce his work. In addition to metal, the parts may...
at the Garrett AiResearch
Garrett AiResearch
Garrett AiResearch was a manufacturer of turboprop engines and turbochargers, and a pioneer in numerous aerospace technologies. It was previously known as Aircraft Tool and Supply Company, Garrett Supply Company, AiResearch Manufacturing Company, or simply AiResearch...
facility in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, where he worked for 15 years. He and his family moved to Lorraine's hometown of Tuba City, AZ on the Navajo Nation
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...
in 1963, where he joined the Navajo Tribal Police Force, which he served in for three years. He then became a legal advocate for D.N.A. Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
. He retired from the organization after 23 years. Sandoval then worked as an interpreter
Interpreting
Language interpretation is the facilitating of oral or sign-language communication, either simultaneously or consecutively, between users of different languages...
for the Navajo legal courts for an additional sixteen years.
Traveling Years
As an elderly man, Merril traveled across the country to places like: Washington D.C., Mississippi, Montana, California, New York State, Notre Dame, and others. He traveled to share his personal story as a Navajo Code Talker with the US Marine Corps. He continued to travel up until Fall 2007.Death
Merril Sandoval died on February 9, 2008, at the age of 82 at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical CenterSt. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. It is currently operated by Catholic Healthcare West , one of the largest healthcare systems in the West with 40 hospitals in Arizona, California and Nevada. St...
in Phoenix. He had been in failing health for the preceding year. He and his wife of 56 years, Lorraine, had been residents of Tuba City, Arizona
Tuba City, Arizona
Tuba City is a census-designated place in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The population was 8,225 at the 2000 census. It is the Dine' Nation's largest community, slightly larger than Shiprock, New Mexico. The Hopi town of Moenkopi lies directly to its southeast.The name of the town...
, for many years. He was survived by his wife and four children. He had 17 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
Sandoval received a full military burial in Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
. Navajo President Joe Shirley, Jr.
Joe Shirley, Jr.
Joe Shirley, Jr. is a Native American politician who was the previous President of the Navajo Nation. He is of the Navajo Tribe and is from Chinle, Arizona...
ordered flags to be flown at half staff from February 13 to 16 in his honor.