Code Talker Friendship Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

[O]n weekends we were free. Not tied to duties like sheepherding, we spent our leisure time exploring San Diego […] Many of my Navajo buddies had never tried beer, or any alcohol, before. (10.31)

Chester and the other code talkers become friends not only through their work developing the code, but also through having fun together. Getting drunk together is a tried and tested method for becoming friends with people quickly.

Quote #2

Lowell Damon was a real nice guy, my best buddy […] I always wished he could have accompanied Roy Begay and me when we went overseas together. (10.54)

Chester remembers Lowell Damon as his "best buddy" from his time in Camp Elliott in San Diego. But Chester can't pick and choose which friends he takes with him abroad. That's military life: he can't always have it his way.

Quote #3

They were all good men, and it makes me feel nostalgic, thinking about those guys, my buddies. (10.55)

Chester's words here make us see that the code talkers he worked with weren't just his fellow Marines, they were his "buddies," his friends.