Alfred Tsosie

Alfred Tsosie was born in Cove, New Mexico, on 13 July 1923. From his very earliest days, his life is something of a mystery; even his parents’ names are not known. He grew on the Navajo reservation near Shiprock, and attended the Cove Day School and Toadlena Boarding Schools. Tsosie also spent a year at the Burke Navajo Vocational School in Fort Wingate, but left before receiving a degree.

In 1942, when he registered for Selective Service, Tsosie was living in Cove and listed one John Lee of the Cove Day School as his primary contact. He had at least one relative in the area – Miss Mary Tsosie – but records disagree as to whether she was Alfred’s sister or his aunt.

Alfred was inducted into the Marine Corps on 26 March 1943; he entered the service from Santa Fe and was sent to San Diego for boot camp. He showed promise in his initial training, earning an Expert Rifleman’s badge and several other weapons qualifications.

However, the Corps was less interested in Tsosie’s marksmanship than his heritage. As a full-blooded Navajo, he spoke the language fluently and was chosen for a highly secretive program. In the summer of 1943, Private Tsosie was assigned to the Field Signal Battalion at Camp Pendleton for training. While many young Navajo entered the program – the class had no less than seven Privates Tsosie on the muster roll – not all could master the radio and the code. Alfred was one who managed, and earned the title of “Code Talker.”

In the fall of 1943, Alfred Tsosie shipped out to the Pacific with the 28th Replacement Battalion. He arrived at New Caledonia in early October, and was one of several code talkers assigned to the Third Raider Battalion, 2nd Marine Raider Regiment. Tsosie and one PFC Yazzie (Joe, Daniel, or Robert) reported to Sergeant Daniel Sheer for duty.

In addition to their special skill set, code talkers were expected to serve as all-around communicators in combat – including carrying bulky radios, following senior officers, and generally keeping comm lines open. Any one of these activities could make them inviting targets for Japanese sniper fire.

The Navajo Marines had very little time to get acquainted with their new comrades. A few days after they joined, the Raiders sailed for Guadalcanal – a staging area for an amphibious assault on Bougainville, scheduled to take place on 1 November 1943.

The 3rd Raider Battalion (less Company M) would not land on Bougainville itself during the assault of 1 November 1943. Instead, they were detailed to subdue Puruata – a small island about half a mile offshore, which could command the landing beaches. The Japanese garrison on Puruata was estimated at about platoon strength – and later proved to be a portion of 2 Company, 23rd Infantry. Although few in number, they could easily open fire on landing craft heading for Bougainville’s beaches, and thus needed to be eliminated.

The outcome of the fight was never in doubt, but the Japanese platoon made good use of their terrain – dense undergrowth concealed rifle pits and bunkers, and the lead Raider company ran into trouble. “Those of us who are still around will remember 1 November 1943 as a day filled with the constant roar of combat and our heads filled with confusion!” said Ed Murphy of K Company. “Nobody knew where the hell anybody else was. The jungle was so thick you could barely see three yards around you.”


Private Tsosie stepped ashore into this confusion and chaos, and was shot in the chest almost immediately. He was widely reported as the first Marine to lose his life on Puruata. Six of his buddies also lost their lives before the day was out.

That afternoon, Lieutenant (j.g.) Robert J. Cronin consecrated the Puruata Cemetery, praying over the bodies of Tsosie, PFC George A. Hudson, Jr., and PFC Herbert C. Buettgen. A combat correspondent in attendance noted that “renewed fighting broke out not more than 100 yards from the graves” in the middle of the services. Still, “the bodies were quickly buried” and the graves marked and identified.

According to Marine Corps records, Private Tsosie’s body was buried several times.

He was first buried in Grave #2 of the Puruata Cemetery on 1 November 1943, properly identified.

The graves on Puruata were exhumed three months later. Tsosie was reinterred in Plot A, Row 11, Grave #4 of the Bougainville Island Cemetery on 25 February 1944.

Then, on 20 March 1945, Tsosie was moved to Plot 50, Row 11, Grave #4 of the US Armed Forces Cemetery on Munda, New Georgia.

Finally, the remains were interred in Finschhafen Cemetery #5 on 5 December 1945.

At each of these many steps, the remains were buried under a marker bearing Tsosie’s name. The burial at Finschhafen even included a detailed dental chart.

After the war, however, something went very wrong. In 1947, the remains marked as Tsosie were processed for final identification, with their accompanying paperwork. Upon opening the casket, however, technicians found only a few ribs and the bones of a left hand. No teeth were present for comparison; there was nothing to confirm the identity. What became of the rest of Tsosie’s body is a mystery; it is not even certain that the bones in the casket were his. The remains were re-designated as X-349, and Tsosie was declared non-recoverable.

CENOTAPHS
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial