John Kinsel was an American World War 2 veteran who was part of Navajo Code Talkers.

Born in Cove, Arizona, Kinsel graduated from high school and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1942.

A longtime resident of Lukachukai, Arizona, near the New Mexico state line, Kinsel was one of about 400 members of the Indigenous Navajo nation who used their native Dine language to help create a code that allowed the US military to communicate securely during the second world war. The US’s enemies never broke the code before their defeat.

Kinsel enlisted with the US marines in 1942, serving in their ninth regiment and third division during the battle of Iwo Jima against Japan. The code whose development Kinsel aided played a vital role in ensuring the security of operations that the American military conducted during campaigns in Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal and Okinawa, said a Navajo nation news release announcing his death.

He told the Guardian in 2015 that for decades no one knew what his assignment had been during his service with the marines. “Not even the Navajo nation knew,” Kinsel said at the time

 As an elite Code Talker, he served with the 9th Marine Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division during the Battle of Iwo Jima

 He died on October 19, 2024, at the age of 107.