DID YOU KNOW? for February 15 - 28, 2022:  

World War II Navajo code talker Thomas Begay was a teenager playing football near his high school in New Mexico when he heard news of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. As soon as he could, he went to a recruiting office to join the Marines. Because he was only 17 he had to go home and return with his mother to give permission for his enlistment. This was just the start of his lifelong commitment to public service.

Begay, now in his late 90’s, is one of only 4 men still alive among the 400-plus Navajo code talkers from World War II. Over 3 dozen of this elite group were either wounded or killed during the war. Their war activities were considered classified and they were forbidden from speaking about them for almost 3 decades.

Learn more about Thomas Begay’s life journey, including his time on Iwo Jima in World War II, his military service in the Korean War, and his decades of service with the Bureau of Indian Affairs at:  https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/history/info-2021/pearl-harbor-thomas-begay.html