Navajo Code Talker and Longtime Lawmaker John Pinto Dies at 94
John Pinto, a Navajo Code Talker in World War II who became one of the nation's longest serving Native American elected officials as a New Mexico state senator, has died. He was 94.
John Pinto
Photographer: Morgan Lee/APThis article is for subscribers only.
Santa Fe, N.M. (AP) -- John Pinto, a Navajo Code Talker in World War II who became one of the nation's longest serving Native American elected officials as a New Mexico state senator, has died. He was 94.
Senate colleague Michael Padilla confirmed Pinto's death in Gallup on Friday after years of suffering from various illnesses that rarely kept him from his duties.