AZ HCM2002

Urges the Arizona Department of Transportation to designate the portion of Interstate Highway 40 between the New Mexico state line and Flagstaff as the "Navajo Code Talker Trail" in honor of Navajo code talkers.

Recognizes that 29 Navajo men were recruited in 1942 to serve as Marine Corps radio operators, eventually growing to approximately 540 Navajo enlistees by 1945, with around 400 trained as Code Talkers.

Acknowledges the Navajo language's role in creating an unbreakable military code that was successfully used throughout the Pacific theater during World War II, including at major battles such as Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Okinawa.

Highlights that the code remained classified for 23 years after World War II until being declassified in 1968, and notes the Navajo Code Talkers' skill saved countless American lives and hastened the end of the war.

Directs the Arizona Department of Transportation to approve, place and maintain appropriate signage identifying the Navajo Code Talker Trail and requires the Secretary of State to transmit copies to the ADOT Director and the President of the Navajo Nation.