National American Indian Heritage Month
Seaman Mark Jacobs Jr. and Harvey Jacobs, brothers and Alaskan Tlingit members from Sitka, who served in the U.S. Navy as code talkers. In 2019, five long-deceased Alaska Native service members were hailed by the state of Alaska for their life-saving efforts during World War II. Until recent years, however, the men’s contributions were unknown. “Their orders were not to talk about it,” said Ozzie Sheakley, an Army veteran and Tlingit leader. “They took those orders seriously.” Alaska lawmakers passed a formal citation honoring the Tlingit men for using their Native language to help the military outsmart the Japanese with codes they could not break. (Graphic by Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute)