World War II veteran and Navajo code talker Sam Sandoval will speak Monday at the Sunflower Theatre, 8 E. Main St., in Cortez.
The theater and the Cortez Cultural Center are hosting Sandoval in recognition of National Code Talkers Day. They will also host a showing of a documentary about his life called “Naz Bah Ei Bijei: Heart of a Warrior.”
“We are incredibly thrilled and honored to host Mr. Sandoval on National Code Talker Day,” said Rebecca Levy, executive director of the Cultural Center, in a news release. “The role that code talkers played in the Allied forces victory in World War II cannot be overstated.”
Sandoval, 93, is the last surviving code talker from Shiprock, New Mexico. He was born in Nageezi, New Mexico, and joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1943. He worked as a code talker during five combat tours in the South Pacific.
The presentation will begin at 6 p.m. and is free. For more information, call Levy at (970) 565-1151, ext. 10, or email becky@cortezculturalcenter.org.
