Joe Kieyoomia
United States Army soldier / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Joe Lee Kieyoomia (November 21, 1919 – February 17, 1997) was a Navajo soldier in New Mexico's 200th Coast Artillery unit who was captured by the Imperial Japanese Army after the fall of the Philippines in 1942 during World War II. Kieyoomia was a POW in Nagasaki at the time of the atomic bombing but survived, reportedly having been shielded from the effects of the bomb by the concrete walls of his cell.[1]
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Joe Kieyoomia | |
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Birth name | Joe Lee Kieyoomia |
Born | (1919-11-21)November 21, 1919 |
Died | February 17, 1997(1997-02-17) (aged 77) |
Buried | San Juan County, New Mexico |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/ | United States Army |
Rank | Sergeant |
Unit | 200th Coast Artillery |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards |
The Japanese tried unsuccessfully to have him decode messages in the "Navajo Code" used by the United States Marine Corps, but although Kieyoomia understood Navajo, the messages sounded like nonsense to him because even though the code was based on the Navajo language, it was decipherable only by individuals specifically trained in its usage.[1]
Kieyoomia is notable for having not only survived the Bataan death march and related internment and torture in a concentration camp, but also being a hibakusha (survivor of an atomic bomb blast).