Stories of Valor

Remembering Chester Nez, Carroll McGuinn, Courts Cleveland, Fred H. Salter & Dr. William Barnhart

Chester Nez

It was the close of 2012, a year memorable in its own right, but for me, it held special significance. It was the year I met Chester Nez—one of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers of World War II. I was returning to the Navajo Nation for my job as a flight medic. I would fly into Albuquerque, New Mexico and then drive to Window Rock, AZ wh…