Clayton Barney Vogel was a United States Marine Corps officer with the rank of major general who served in a variety of capacities from 1902 until 1946. He is best known for his support of the Navajo code talker program.
Vogel in 1942
General Vogel decorates Navy Corpsman Delbert E. Eilers with Silver Star for his bravery during the Solomon Islands Campaign, New Caledonia, summer 1943.
Vogel cuts a piece of cake at the Marine Corps birthday celebration in San Diego, 1943.
20th Anniversary of 2nd Marine Division, 1961; from left to right: BG Leonard F. Chapman Jr., GEN Franklin A. Hart ret., LTG Joseph C. Burger, LTG Lewis B. Puller ret., BG Odell M. Conoley, LTG Thomas E. Watson ret., MG James P. Berkeley, Vogel, MG Robert B. Luckey, LTG Julian C. Smith ret. and GEN Edwin A. Pollock ret.
A code talker was a person employed by the military during wartime to use a little-known language as a means of secret communication. The term is most often used for United States service members during the World Wars who used their knowledge of Native American languages as a basis to transmit coded messages. In particular, there were approximately 400 to 500 Native Americans in the United States Marine Corps whose primary job was to transmit secret tactical messages. Code talkers transmitted messages over military telephone or radio communications nets using formally or informally developed codes built upon their Indigenous languages. The code talkers improved the speed of encryption and decryption of communications in front line operations during World War II and are credited with a number of decisive victories. Their code was never broken.
Choctaw soldiers in training in World War I for coded radio and telephone transmissions
Comanche code talkers of the 4th Signal Company
Navajo code talkers, Saipan, June 1944
Code Talkers Monument Ocala, Florida Memorial Park