The Chameleon Soldier: NOW AS AN ALIEN BLUE HE CANNOT DIE. by D.B. Silvis Page B

Germans didn’t aim just for the soldiers; they also shot at the civilians. Later that same afternoon, Great Britain and France sent an ultimatum to Hitler to withdraw from Poland or face war with them. On the third of September German forces penetrated deeper into Poland. Great Britain and France declared war on Germany.
    America had not build up arms or forces to prepare for war. The American people didn’t want to be involved in the warfare, in Europe. However, in March, 1940, the Land-Lease Act was passed. This stated that President Roosevelt could direct aid to whomever he wanted. That meant the United States was no longer neutral. America feared Germany taking over Europe, so the president contributed billions of dollars in aid to the British, and supplied French troops with arms and other support. President Roosevelt, together with some members of the senate and congress were looking for a good reason to enter the conflict. It would need to be an incident of a seriousness, which would lead everyone to agree that America should join the war. When the Japanese bombed the hell out of Pearl Harbor, the American people were incensed, and in such an uproar that no one wanted to back down from the fight.
    In 1942, the United States Army still had horse cavalry as there wasn’t any fully developed strategy for fighting a war in the western hemisphere. There was no guarantee there would be good roads, ample fuel, supplies, and good terrain where troops might be needed. The Army believed mounted soldiers, using sure-footed horses, would be invaluable. Another factor was that horse cavalry could quickly get around, and over such natural hazards as hills, rocks and deserts. Nonetheless, even with the advantage of mobility, cavalry units proved to be a difficult problem. The units were unpopular with operation commanders, as horses and their equipment took up valuable shipping space and logistic support, far more than other military outfits.
    For the first year of the war, none of the cavalrymen or their horses was deployed overseas. Killian continued to work at the ranch, and at Fort Bliss. Over the first few months of the war, Killian struggled over whether he should, once again, join the military. Then, one morning while reading the newspaper, he came across an interesting article. It was about an idea by Phillip Johnson, a missionary’s son, who had spent much of his life on the Navajo Indian reservation.
    Johnson’s idea had centered on military communication, which was an essential factor during wartime. From ship to ship or battalion to battalion everyone had to know when, and where, to attack. If the enemy could hear and break the special codes, the element of surprise would be lost, and probably the battle. Encryptions were vital in order to protect important conversations. Many different codes were used and often broken by the enemy. Phillip Johnson had thought of a code he believed would be unbreakable. It was based on the language of the Navajo Indians. While working as an engineer for the city of Los Angeles, he had heard that the Army was attempting to come up with a new code. He had driven to Camp Elliot, near San Diego, and presented his idea to Lieutenant Colonel James Jones, the Area Signal Officer. The colonel had been skeptical, but he had recommended a demonstration for Major General Clayton Vogel. The experiment of a talker program using the Navajo language was successful. Then Major General Vogel sent a letter to the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, recommending they enlist two hundred Navajo Indians for this proven project. They were given permission to start a “pilot project”, but beginning with only thirty Navajo Indians. In May, 1942, Major General Vogel’s recruiters were at Fort Defiance in Arizona, selecting the thirty Navajo Indians, who were to be the first code talkers.
    Killian felt he could be very useful as a code talker. He had served as a Negro in the Buffalo soldiers, so