Background
Harjo was born in Maud, Oklahoma, on November 24, 1917, on land that had been given to his mother, Yanna (née Grant) Harjo. His father was Tony Harjo.
Harjo was born in Maud, Oklahoma, on November 24, 1917, on land that had been given to his mother, Yanna (née Grant) Harjo. His father was Tony Harjo.
He graduated from Seminole High School.
On November 20, 2013, a group representing thirty-three Native American tribes were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Congress, for their service as code talkers. Harjo was the only surviving code talker present. He was presented with a silver duplicate of the gold medal representing his tribe.
Edmond Harjo resided in the vicinity of Maud and Seminole, Oklahoma, for most of his life.
Harjo obtained both his bachelor"s degree and his master"s degree from Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City. In 1944, Edmond Harjo was walking through a French orchard when he encountered another United States. soldier singing in the Muscogee language, widely known as Muscogee, under a tree.
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. Harjo"s messages, which were spoken in the Seminole language, could not be easily translated by the Axis.
Harjo soon trained as Seminole code talker, using his native language to foil Axis attempts to decode or decipher Allied communications during the war.
He was awarded a silver Service star for his work as a code talker, as well as a European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and a Good Conduct Medal for his service during the war. Professionally, Harjo worked as a teacher and schoolteacher during his career. He taught in the Maud Public Schools, the Justice Schools, and the Pickett Center school in Ada, Oklahoma, for many years.
Edmond Harjo died from a heart attack at Mercy Hospital in Ada, Oklahoma, on March 31, 2014, at the age of 96.
He was the last living Seminole code talker. His funeral was held at the Swearingen Funeral Home Chapel in Seminole, Oklahoma on April 1, 2014.
He was buried at the Seminole Nation Veterans Memorial Cemetery, in Seminole, Oklahoma.
