The Navajo Nation Council has honored the Navajo Code Talkers, who used the tribe's language to outsmart the Japanese in World War II.
Monday's event at Veterans Memorial Park in Window Rock also commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Navajo Code Talkers Association.
The U.S. Marine Corps laid a wreath at the park and honored code talkers who have died with a 21-gun salute.
Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye gave the welcome address, which followed the annual Navajo Code Talkers Day parade.
In a statement, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona said "history will forever marvel at the Navajos who used their native language during their service in the U.S. Marine Corps to develop an unbreakable code that contributed significantly to Allied victories at Iwo Jima and across the Pacific."
