100 Arizona Goldback

Description

Virtue: Libertas (Liberty)

Enduring Principle: “Our language was our strongest weapon.”

The Arizona 100 Goldback celebrates Libertas—Liberty—through the remarkable story of the Navajo Code Talkers during World War II. Set against the monumental red rock landscapes of Window Rock, Arizona—the seat of the Navajo Nation—this artwork honors freedom, resilience, and the extraordinary courage of those who turned their language into an unbreakable tool of victory.

At the center, a Navajo Code Talker crouches in full Marine uniform, radio in hand, representing the hundreds of Navajo Marines whose coded messages could never be deciphered by enemy forces. Once prohibited in schools, the Navajo language became a weapon for liberty, used in every major Pacific assault from Guadalcanal to Okinawa. During the Battle of Iwo Jima alone, over 800 messages were transmitted flawlessly, ensuring critical victories for the Allied forces. Faintly in the background, the historic Iwo Jima flag rises, a symbol of the triumphs their words made possible.

Towering above, Libertas herself embodies both universal freedom and Navajo strength. She wears a concho belt, squash blossom necklace, and a flowing dress adorned with traditional woven patterns. In one hand, she holds a spear, symbolizing the Navajo tradition of protecting their people and land. Her seven-spiked crown radiates light, uniting the eternal emblem of liberty with Indigenous resilience.

Surrounding the scene, eagles soar as emblems of vigilance, while Marines move across cactus-strewn desert terrain, linking their sacrifice to the land of Arizona. The seal of the Navajo Code Talker Museum is incorporated, reflecting a partnership with the Navajo Nation to honor and preserve this vital legacy.

The narrative of the Code Talkers illustrates how freedom can be defended in many voices, and some of the strongest rose from the Navajo people. By carrying their language into battle, they carried the heart of Arizona itself into history.

This Goldback is a tribute not only to wartime heroism but to the enduring virtue of Libertas—a reminder that liberty is safeguarded by courage, wisdom, and the voices that refuse to be silenced.

Etched along the bottom is the guiding principle: “Our language was our strongest weapon.”