FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Missouri’s American Indian Cultural Center presents Experiences of Chester Nez, U.S. Hero and Navajo Code Talker Nov. 30
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, NOV. 26, 2019 – Visit Missouri’s American Indian Cultural Center at Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 30 to learn about the experiences of Chester Nez, the last original Navajo Code Talker and World War II veteran.
Through videos made possible by the Library of Congress, attendees can watch an extensive interview with Nez before his passing in 2014. The program will include clips of his interview highlighting topics such as Navajo boarding school, military recruitment and the development of the Navajo code, as well as personal stories recounting his military service.
This event will run concurrently with the traveling exhibit, "Patriot Nations: Native Americans in Our Nation's Armed Forces." The exhibit was produced by the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian and made possible by the generous support of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, www.mohumanities.org/patriot-nations.
Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park is located 12 miles north of Marshall on Highway 122. For more information about the event, call the park at 660-886-7537.
For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit the web at mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.