ATHENS, Ohio -- "Warriors: Navajo Code Talkers" will be on view at Ohio University's Kennedy Museum of Art beginning Sept. 3. This compelling exhibition features portraits of Navajo Code Talkers by photographer Kenji Kawano, the official Navajo Code Talkers Association photographer. Included are 40 black and white photographs highlighting the Navajo U.S. Marines who defied Japanese intelligence during World War II with their unique and undecipherable "code" based on the Navajo language.

During World War II a small group of Navajo Marines provided their country with its only totally secure cryptogram. They spoke to each other in their native language, relaying vital information between front lines and headquarters. The Japanese were not able to decipher the messages, making the Code Talkers contributions invaluable during the war. This little known story has been portrayed in documentaries as well as the recently released movie, "Windtalkers," starring Nicolas Cage. The exhibited photographs express much more of the sense of pride and patriotism these Navajos felt for their duties as Code Talkers.

"Warriors: Navajo Code Talkers" includes sensitive and personal portraits of the Navajo Marines in their homes or on their native reservation. The photographs, taken in the late 1980s, reflect the respect and friendship that Kawano was able to develop with the Code Talkers over more than a decade as he traveled through the southwest.

Warriors: Navajo Code Talkers is organized by the National Atomic Museum, Albuquerque, N.M., and will be on view at the Kennedy Museum through Nov. 24. A series of events is planned in conjunction with the exhibition. Please contact the Kennedy Museum of Art at (740) 593-1304 for details.