Willard Varnell Oliver (May 2, 1921 – October 14, 2009) was an American veteran of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

and a member of the

Navajo Code Talkers 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 now usually associated with United States service members during the world wars who used their k ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Oliver was part of a unit of Navajos who worked to confuse Japanese forces in the Pacific during World War II through the transmission of messages in the

Navajo language Navajo or Navaho (; Navajo: or ) is a Southern Athabaskan language of the Na-Dené family, through which it is related to languages spoken across the western areas of North America. Navajo is spoken primarily in the Southwestern United Stat ...

. His younger brother, Lloyd Oliver, was also a member of the Navajo Code Talkers. Their parents were Howard and Olive (Lee) Oliver. Oliver grew up in a rural area between

Shiprock Shiprock ( nv, , "rock with wings" or "winged rock") is a monadnock rising nearly above the high-desert plain of the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. Its peak elevation is above sea level. It is about southwest ...

and

Farmington, New Mexico Farmington is a city in San Juan County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census the city had a total population of 46,624 people. Farmington (and surrounding San Juan County) makes up one of the four Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

and graduated from the Shiprock Agricultural High School in 1940. He enlisted in the

on March 23, 1943, and served with the 2nd Marine Division. He was honorably discharged on December 11, 1945. Willard Oliver died on October 14, 2009, at the Northern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System Hospital in

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona ...

, at the age of 88. He was the fifth member of the Navajo Code Talkers to die since May 2009."Navajo Nation mourns passing of Code Talker"
''Associated Press'', 14-10-2009. Retrieved 20-Oct-2009 Navajo President

Joe Shirley Jr. Joe Shirley Jr. (born December 4, 1947) is a Navajo politician who is the only two-term President of the Navajo Nation. He served as president from 2003 to 2011. He lives in Chinle, Arizona, and is Tódích'íi'nii, born for Tábaahá. Personal ...

ordered that

American flags The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the ...

on the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

be lowered to half staff in Oliver's honor. His funeral was held on October 17, 2009, in his hometown of

Lukachukai Lukachukai ( nv, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,701 at the 2010 census. It is within the Navajo Nation. Etymology Lukachukai comes from a Navajo word translated as "a fi ...

, Arizona.

References

External links

Willard Oliver
– Daily Telegraph obituary {{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Willard Varnell 1921 births 2009 deaths Navajo code talkers United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II People from Apache County, Arizona People from San Juan County, New Mexico Military personnel from New Mexico 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans