Joe Kieyoomia, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetJoe Kieyoomia
Recipient of the Purple Heart medal
Date of Birth: 21-Nov-1919
Place of Birth: Farmington, New Mexico, United States
Date of Death: 17-Feb-1997
Profession: military personnel
Nationality: United States
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio 
About Joe Kieyoomia
- Joe Kieyoomia (November 21, 1919 – February 17, 1997) was a Navajo soldier in New Mexico's 200th Coast Artillery unit who was captured by the Imperial Japanese Army after the fall of the Philippines in 1942 during World War II.
- Kieyoomia was a POW in Nagasaki at the time of the atomic bombing but survived, reportedly having been shielded from the effects of the bomb by the concrete walls of his cell.The Japanese tried unsuccessfully to have him decode messages in the "Navajo Code" used by the United States Marine Corps, but although Kieyoomia understood Navajo, the messages sounded like nonsense to him because even though the code was based on the Navajo language, it was decipherable only by individuals specifically trained in its usage.Kieyoomia is notable for having not only survived the Bataan death march and related internment and torture in a concentration camp, but also being a hibakusha (survivor of an atomic bomb blast).
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