Code Talker

by

Joseph Bruchac

Corporal Johnny Manuelito Character Analysis

A graduate of Navajo High School, Johnny is among the first all-Navajo platoon of Marines. He is sent back to Fort Defiance to train the next group of Navajo recruits. After hearing Johnny speak, Ned decides to enlist, too. Johnny also teaches Ned and the rest of his platoon in code school.

Corporal Johnny Manuelito Quotes in Code Talker

The Code Talker quotes below are all either spoken by Corporal Johnny Manuelito or refer to Corporal Johnny Manuelito. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Memory, Language, and Identity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8 Quotes

Johnny Manuelito's duty was to recruit from our eastern half of the big Navajo reservation. He did so in style, wearing his spotless new corporal's uniform as he spoke on street corners and in chapter houses. People were impressed, not just by his words but by how he looked. Those who had known him before said that he truly seemed to be a different person. He looked to have grown taller during the short time he was gone and he carried himself more like a white man than an Indian. When he came to our high school and spoke to the student body, his words reverberated in my mind like drumbeats.

Related Characters: Ned Begay (speaker), Corporal Johnny Manuelito
Page Number: 47
Explanation and Analysis:

"Do you know how many of the twenty-nine men in our platoon washed out?" Johnny Manuelito asked us. "Not even one!"

I was not surprised. Those things that he said a Marine recruit needed to learn were part of our everyday Navajo life back then. We were used to walking great distances over hard terrain while carrying things. We would stay out with our herds of sheep overnight and in the worst weather. Going for two or three days without eating was not unusual for us, even those of us who had gone off to boarding school.

Related Characters: Ned Begay (speaker), Corporal Johnny Manuelito (speaker)
Page Number: 49
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

"You have done well," Johnny Manuelito said. "But you must learn to be perfect if you wish to become a code talker."

Code talker. It was the first time I had ever heard that name, but it sounded good to me. Then our two Navajo instructors began to explain our duties to us. The more they said, the better it sounded. Our job was to learn a new top-secret code based on the Navajo language. We would also be trained to be expert in every form of communication used by the Marine Corps, from radios to Morse code. Using our code, we could send battlefield messages that no one but another Navajo code talker could understand.

Related Characters: Ned Begay (speaker), Corporal Johnny Manuelito (speaker)
Page Number: 73
Explanation and Analysis:
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Corporal Johnny Manuelito Quotes in Code Talker

The Code Talker quotes below are all either spoken by Corporal Johnny Manuelito or refer to Corporal Johnny Manuelito. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Memory, Language, and Identity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8 Quotes

Johnny Manuelito's duty was to recruit from our eastern half of the big Navajo reservation. He did so in style, wearing his spotless new corporal's uniform as he spoke on street corners and in chapter houses. People were impressed, not just by his words but by how he looked. Those who had known him before said that he truly seemed to be a different person. He looked to have grown taller during the short time he was gone and he carried himself more like a white man than an Indian. When he came to our high school and spoke to the student body, his words reverberated in my mind like drumbeats.

Related Characters: Ned Begay (speaker), Corporal Johnny Manuelito
Page Number: 47
Explanation and Analysis:

"Do you know how many of the twenty-nine men in our platoon washed out?" Johnny Manuelito asked us. "Not even one!"

I was not surprised. Those things that he said a Marine recruit needed to learn were part of our everyday Navajo life back then. We were used to walking great distances over hard terrain while carrying things. We would stay out with our herds of sheep overnight and in the worst weather. Going for two or three days without eating was not unusual for us, even those of us who had gone off to boarding school.

Related Characters: Ned Begay (speaker), Corporal Johnny Manuelito (speaker)
Page Number: 49
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

"You have done well," Johnny Manuelito said. "But you must learn to be perfect if you wish to become a code talker."

Code talker. It was the first time I had ever heard that name, but it sounded good to me. Then our two Navajo instructors began to explain our duties to us. The more they said, the better it sounded. Our job was to learn a new top-secret code based on the Navajo language. We would also be trained to be expert in every form of communication used by the Marine Corps, from radios to Morse code. Using our code, we could send battlefield messages that no one but another Navajo code talker could understand.

Related Characters: Ned Begay (speaker), Corporal Johnny Manuelito (speaker)
Page Number: 73
Explanation and Analysis: