November 11, 2019 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm in Haverland Hall

When Judith Avila, a graduate of Duke University, met the late Chester Nez in 2007, she realized he had a compelling story to tell. His memoir, written with Judith Avila, was published by Berkley Books in 2012.

Although 420 Navajo code talkers served in the Marines during World War II, none had written memoirs until Nez’s 2012 autobiography Code Talker. Chester Nez (1921-2014) was one of the original 29 code talkers, men who developed the only unbroken code in modern warfare and took it into battle against the Japanese. His life demonstrated how challenges enhance strength and how diversity augments the strength of a nation.