The Warriors' Code

Added: (Wed May 29 2002)

Pressbox (Press Release) - For Immediate Release Contact: Dory Peters
(801) 686-1335
dorypeters2002@yahoo.com

The Warriors’ Code Presents Navajo Perspective of World War II Code Talkers

(Salt Lake City, Utah) During World War II, young Navajos were recruited as code talkers because their unwritten language was unintelligible to the Japanese. Dory Peters, a full-blooded Navajo, just released The Warriors’ Code, a novel based on his relatives’ experiences as code talkers.

“For me, this story hits home; my grandfather was a medicine-man and his brother and other relatives served as code talkers. They had very unique stories, but unfortunately passed on years ago. I wanted to preserve my ancestors and their stories. I started writing for my children, but I feel these are important stories to share with everyone,” said Peters.

The book’s release also falls close to the movie Windtalkers, due out June 14, 2002, directed by John Woo and starring Nicholas Cage. Peters said he thinks the movie is a good start in honoring the code talkers.

“My guess is that the movie is going to surround the major movie stars, like Nicolas Cage, but this is the first time Native Americans are portrayed as heroes in a war movie. I hope the movie will give the general audience the realization that the Navajo played a major role in winning the Pacific War,” said Peters.

Peters said he hopes his book will complement the movie, by offering a truly Navajo perspective on the events. The Warriors’ Code surrounds a Navajo family in the 1940s and how the decisions of the two sons to enlist change the family forever. It is a composite of the stories different relatives told Peters about their experiences as code talkers in World War II. The main character, Lee, is based primarily on Peters’ grandfather and great uncle.

“I decided to write fiction because it is Navajo culture to pass down history through stories. People perceive the same event in different ways; there is not really a true way to tell of that event. Story telling becomes a way to relay history with a disclaimer that it is just one perspective. That way, when people say, ‘It didn’t happen that way,’ I can say, well it was just a story.”

Peters was born in 1968 in Shiprock, New Mexico. He was raised by his mother, but spent a lot of time living with his maternal grandparents in Red Valley, Arizona. His grandfather, a medicine man, told Peters the traditions and stories of their ancestors.

“All of my writing is based on my grandfather’s stories and my own personal experiences as a Navajo. The Warriors’ Code is about how history effects us all in a very personal way.”

Peters is currently working on a documentary called Sacred Skies of the Navajo about his great-grandparents during the 1860’s. He is also the author of Winds of Change, based on his experiences growing up on the Navajo Reservation and as a part of the controversial Indian Placement Program.

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