FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Samuel Sandoval, one of the last remaining Navajo Code Talkers who transmitted messages in World War II using a code based on their native language, died at 98.
Sandoval died Friday at a hospital in Shiprock, N.M., his wife, Malula, told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Hundreds of Navajos were recruited from the Navajo Nation to serve as Code Talkers with the Marine Corps. Only three are still alive today: Peter MacDonald, John Kinsel Sr. and Thomas Begay.
The Code Talkers took part in every assault the Marines conducted in the Pacific, sending thousands of messages without error on Japanese troop movements, battlefield tactics and other communications critical to the war's ultimate outcome. The code, based on the then-unwritten Navajo language, confounded Japanese military cryptologists and is credited with helping the U.S. win the war.
The Navajo men are celebrated annually on Aug. 14.
"Sam always said, 'I wanted my Navajo youngsters to learn, they need to know what we did and how this code was used and how it contributed to the world,'" Malula said Saturday. "'That the Navajo language was powerful and always to continue carrying our legacy.'"
Sandoval was born in Nageezi near Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps after attending a Methodist school where he was discouraged from speaking Navajo. He helped recruit other Navajos from the school to serve as Code Talkers.
Sandoval served in five combat tours and was honorably discharged in 1946. The Code Talkers had orders not to discuss their roles until their mission was declassified in 1968.
Sandoval was always reading the local newspapers, and attending community, veterans, Code Talker and legislative meetings. He enjoyed traveling and sharing what he learned, grounded in his Dine beliefs and the Navajo way of life, said Karen John, one of his daughters.
Sandoval often told his story, chronicled in a book and documentary of the same name -- "Naz Bah Ei Bijei: Heart of a Warrior" -- at the Cortez Cultural Center in Colorado. Executive director Rebecca Levy said Sandoval's talks drew dozens of people, some of whom had to be turned away because of space limitations.
Sandoval's health had been declining in recent years, including a fall in which he fractured a hip, Malula Sandoval said. He received the American Spirit Award in June from the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, she said.
Sandoval and his wife met while he was running a substance abuse counseling clinic, and she was a secretary, she said. They were married 33 years. Sandoval raised 11 children from previous marriages and in blended families, John said.
"We are saddened by his passing, but his legacy will always live on in our hearts and minds," Navajo President Jonathan Nez said in a statement.
Navajo Nation Council Speaker Seth Damon said Sandoval's life was guided by character, courage, honor and integrity, and his impact will forever be remembered.
Funeral services are pending.
FILE - In this 2013 photo, Navajo Code Talker Samuel Sandoval talks about his experiences in the military in Cortez, Colo. Sandoval, one of the last remaining Navajo Code Talkers who transmitted messages in World War II using a code based on their native language, has died at age 98. Sandoval died late Friday, July 29, 2022, at a hospital in Shiprock, N.M., his wife, Malula told The Associated Press on Saturday. (Sam Green/The Cortez Journal via AP)