US senator to award medal to Navajo Code Talker's family

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — One of New Mexico's U.S. senators plans to honor a deceased Navajo Code Talker posthumously for his service during World War II. Sen. Martin Heinrich will present the Congressional Silver Medal to the family of Adolph Nagurski during a ceremony Tuesday at the New Mexico Veterans' Memorial. Heinrich's office says Nagurksi had earned the medal but never received it. The Navajo Code Talkers were a group of Marines who developed a code based on their language to communicate during wartime. The Japanese never deciphered it, and the Code Talkers were credited with helping win many key battles in the Pacific during World War II. In 2000, the Congressional Silver Medals were authorized by Congress and produced by the U.S. Mint to recognize the dedication and valor of the Code Talkers.