By Earl Keaton

Words from the wise never had a cryptic meaning until the Navajo ‘Code Talkers,’ later romanticized by the movie Wind Talkers, became the saving secret code during World War II. Recently, the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, were honored by a visit from four Navajo Code Talkers. Their native tongue foiled the Japanese attempts to further assault Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Samuel Tso, Bill Toledo, Frank Chee Willetto and Keith Little, Navajo Code Talkers, enlisted in the war to defend and protect America, finding themselves to be members of the nations’ secret weapon during WWII. Enraged by the attack on Pearl Harbor, many Navajos enlisted to join the fight. A select group of Marines adapted a version of their native language to protect our communications. It was very successful. The Japanese never cracked the code. It was the unique weapon of the Navajo Indians, an unwritten language.

24 Navajo code Talkers were attached to the Third Marine Division serving from Guadal Canal to Iwo Jima and beyond. 8 Indian soldiers served in the U.S. Army Africa in the 168th Infantry, 34th Division 17 Comanche soldiers in Europe , in the 4th Signal company, 4th Infantry Division

The idea of using this almost archaic language came from Philip Johnston, a World War I Veteran who grew up in a Navajo Reservation as a missionary’s son. Johnston, a non-Navajo, who spoke the unwritten language, believed this was an undecipherable code. He was right! ‘It was a weapon for which they (Japanese) could never find an answer,’ remarked 84 year, old, Code Talker, Frank Chee Willetto while in New Orleans recently. The idea of using a foreign language was not novel, but Johnston knew the Navajos spoke English and a native tongue that no Germans, Japanese or any other enemy combatants knew existed or could be researched. The Navajo language never played such a significant role in American history until they provided secure authenticated oral communications to prevent eavesdropping. There was a company of Indian soldiers in France during WWI in the 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Division, who spoke 26 languages and dialects.

Code talkers were deployed September 1942 on Guadalcanal in the 3th Marine Division operating six Navajo radio nets sending more than 800 messages without error. They were responsible for the message that Marines had reached the summit of Mt. Suribachi, where the famous flag-raising took place. The flag-raising is memorialized as a statue in Washington, D.C. No coded messages were ever interpreted. Many English words did not translate in Navaho. For example, Commanding General was Bih Keh He; Warrior Chief, or Commanding Officer was Hash Kay Gi Na Tah, also translated as Warrior Chief. They had a sense of humor too. Tkele Cho G was jackass, whomever they were referring to.

The new technology of Navajo Code Talking was not accepted readily by their superiors until evidenced that their ‘talk’ was decoded faster than others. The Navajos were more efficient, but had to prove themselves. American Indians have served in the United States Military with distinction for the past 200 years. Their courage, determination and fighting spirit were recognized by American military leaders as early as the 18th century. During WWII their distinction as changing the course of the war wasn’t acknowledged immediately after the war ended. Their work remained classified until 2002 when Congress passed the Code Talker’s Recognitionj Act. President Bush had thanked them at a ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda, on July 26, 2001 in which they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. The National Cryptologic Museum in Fort Meade, Maryland has a co de talker exhibit. They have a rightful place in the new International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. These WWII Navajo warriors have come to be known as, ‘The Sons of the Land of Enchantment’.

About the Author: Saunders Insignia is a major supplier of insignia for the military. We stock over 15,000 items including

custom made patches

, and

custom made insignia.

Earl F. Keaton the G.M. of http://SaundersInsignia.com has a B.S. from California Polytechnic University, USN reserve 4 years, USAF Technical advisor Korean War.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=489076&ca=Leadership

By Dennis Jarvis

“Group coverage” is used loosely to describe health insurance plans that are employer sponsored but there is a distinction between “Small Group” and “Large Group” health benefits which is important. Your company’s options can be quite different under these two umbrellas so let’s take a look at the how they differ both in terms of qualification and treatment under the law.

What is “Small Group” in terms of employer-sponsored health insurance In the State of California, Small Group health insurance is essentially employer-sponsored health insurance for companies with 2-50 employees. Eligibility requirements and protection is handled under AB1672.

First, “Guaranteed issue” is a very big advantage to establishing a Group health insurance plan in California versus other States. Regardless of the health of employees enrolling, the carrier must offer coverage to an eligible company. There are requirements that must be met by the company but the big three are 1) 2-50 employees/owners; 2) 75% of the eligible employees must go with the plan; and 3) the employer must pay at least 50% of the employee’s premium (does not mandate dependents). For more information on qualifying for Small Group coverage, please check our page of Small Group enrollment.

The ability of the company to change rates is also very important, especially for companies that have employees with health issues. In California, the carriers can up or down from the standard rate by 10%. This is called the RAF (Risk Adjustment Factor). The size of the group can affect this rate factor since the larger the group are more likely to get a lower RAF. The theory is that health issues are spread among a larger pool of people. It’s not atypical for carriers to offer RAF guarantees based on the size of the enrolling group.

Finally, the health carriers in California designate and file their Small Group plans with State agency responsible. Any eligible group can then apply for the same plan regardless of health. This is important to keep carriers from “cherry picking” healthy groups on to certain plan types and excluding less healthy groups.

How does Large Group health insurance differ?

Officially, large group health insurance is for groups with more than 50 employees/owners. Some carriers may allow groups that were originally designated as Small Group to remain on the Small Group suite of plans if they grow beyond 50 employees but they are not required to. There are some very big differences when comparing Large Group with Small Group described above.

Large group plans are not protected by AB 1672 and are not “guaranteed issue”. The carrier can decline coverage to groups based on claims experience and/or health history. Rates are built for that specific group’s claims experience and risk so total amounts can vary significantly from group to group. The plan options are different from those offered to Small Group and then to offer many more options. Some carriers even offer more of a cafeteria option where employer’s pick specific benefits to offer (i.e. choice of office copay, etc). Some Large group have tailor-made benefits to meet their needs and budget. Large group is quite different from Small Group and contacting an experienced agent is more important than ever when navigating this side of the business.

About the Author: Dennis Jarvis is a licensed

California group health insurance

broker with extensive knowledge of the Small Group health market in California.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=262995&ca=Finances