Edmond Harjo
Edmond Andrew Harjo (November 24, 1917 – March 31, 2014) was an
Early life
Harjo was born in
Military service
Edmond Harjo and his brothers enlisted in the United States Army during World War II. Harjo served in the U.S. Army's 195th Field Artillery Battalion, serving with his brothers at Normandy in 1944 and the Battle of the Bulge in 1945.[1][5] In 1944, Edmond Harjo was walking through a French orchard when he encountered another U.S. soldier singing in Muscogee language, widely known as Muscogee, under a tree.[1] Harjo and the other soldier were overheard conversing by an army captain, who quickly put both to work at opposite ends of the army's radio signal.[1][5] The story was later recounted by
Civilian career
Professionally, Harjo worked as a teacher during his career. He taught in the Maud Public Schools, the Justice Schools, and the Pickett Center school in Ada, Oklahoma, for many years.[1][2] He was also a church elder at the Achena Presbyterian Church, which had been founded by his father, Tony Harjo, in 1884 in Maud, Oklahoma.[1][3]
Death
Edmond Harjo died from a heart attack at Mercy Hospital in Ada, Oklahoma, on March 31, 2014, at the age of 96.[1][2] He was the last living Seminole code talker.[2][3] Harjo never married and was survived by his nieces and nephews.[1] His funeral was held at the Swearingen Funeral Home Chapel in Seminole, Oklahoma on April 1, 2014.[2][3] He was buried at the Seminole Nation Veterans Memorial Cemetery, in Seminole, Oklahoma.[2]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Seminole code talker Edmond Harjo dies at 96". Tulsa World. 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Attocknie, Dana (2014-04-07). "Last living Seminole Code Talker walks on, loved ones pay respects, honor hero". Native American Times. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
- ^ a b c d "The code for farewell: Saying Goodbye to the Last Seminole Code Talker". Al Jazeera America. 2014-04-27. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
- ^ a b c d Peterson, Dick (2013-11-21). "Treasury and Mint Join Congress to Honor Native American Code Talkers". United States Department of the Treasury. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
- ^ a b c d "Passings: Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson, Ultimate Warrior, Edmond Harjo". Los Angeles Times. 2014-04-09. Retrieved 2014-04-27.