Family remembers life of Code Talker
Alysa Landry The Daily Times
Article Launched: 11/28/2007 12:00:00 AM MST

SHIPROCK — Nearly 60 years passed between the time John Sells, of Shiprock, served as a Navajo Code Talker and the day he told his family he was one of the select group.

It wasn't until Sells attended a Code Talkers memorial celebration in 2001 that he confided in his wife and children.

"I couldn't believe it," said his wife, Alice Sells, 55, of Shiprock. "He never told me. I was excited, I was surprised and I was proud."

Sells, one of the 430 Navajo warriors credited for aiding America's cause in World War II, died Friday at age 92. Sells enlisted in the Marines in 1944 and was honorably discharged in 1946. He received a Silver Medal of Honor in 2000.

His role as one of the few to speak a code so complex it was never broken was kept secret until 1968 when the documents were declassified, but Sells kept quiet even longer.

"He was a really secret person," said his stepdaughter Sharon Tsosie, 32, of Shiprock. "He didn't want to talk about anything. When we asked him, he said it wasn't a pretty place."

Sells worked as an X-ray technician before joining the military. He pursued a career as an auto mechanic after returning from the war.

Sells excelled in his civilian life, his wife said. He was an avid athlete and coached baseball and basketball. He also enjoyed golf and playing blackjack and poker. As he aged, Sells began to look back at his service as a Code Talker, Alice Sells said.

"The Navajo Code Talkers Association asked him to participate, but at first he didn't want to," she said. "Then in the end, he wanted to be with them."

The Navajo Nation celebrates its official Navajo Code Talker Day on Aug. 14 — the day President Ronald Reagan dedicated to the warriors in 1982. Of the 430 original Code Talkers, only about 70 are still living.

"I'm glad they have a special occasion for Code Talkers," Alice Sells said. "They are special people."

The Patriot Guard Riders will escort Sells' funeral procession Thursday from Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Farmington to Memorial Gardens.

The motorcycle riders are invited guests of the family and they work to show respect for veterans and shield funeral guests from protesters, said Frank Lewis, a Patriot Guard Rider.

"We honor any of the fallen warriors or veterans," he said. "This guy was a Code Talker from World War II, so we're honoring him for that."

Sell's funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 414 N. Allen Ave.

Ellie