Joe Morris Sr. | Navajo code talker, 85

World War II Marine veteran Joe Morris Sr., 85, one of the Navajo code talkers whose use of their native language in transmitting messages successfully thwarted Japanese code breakers during World War II, died July 17 of complications from a stroke in Loma Linda, Calif.

Born on the Navajo reservation in Indian Wells, Ariz., he was one of about 400 Navajo code talkers who underwent extensive training at Camp Pendleton, Calif., to memorize the undecipherable code based on their complex, unwritten language. The code grew to more than 600 Navajo terms by the end of the war. A submarine, for example, became besh-lo, which means "iron fish" in Navajo. A bomber was jay-sho, or "buzzard" in Navajo.

"We had to learn all of the codes, everything about airplanes, everything about ships," Mr. Morris told the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times in 1999.

He served in combat in Okinawa with the 22d Marine Regiment, Sixth Marine Division.

About 65 code talkers are still alive, according to Navajo Code Talkers Association secretary Yvonne Murphy. - Los Angeles Times