Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

I've long been fascinated by the story of the Navajo code talkers and the role they played in World War Two. In that part of the conflict that was fought against Japan in the Pacific Ocean, Navajo Marines used their native language to create an unbreakable code. Because they were Marines, that arm of the U.S. military that leads all others into the thick of battle, they also saw some of the heaviest fighting of the war. If any American servicemen deserved to be honored, it was those Navajos.

But for decades there were no parades, no public honors, no official recognitions of the crucial role they played. From the end of the war in 1945 until 1969, the very existence of a Navajo code and the intelligent and courageous work of those several hundred Navajo Indian Marines remained top secret.