Samuel Tso, 89, A United States Military Veteran and Navajo Code Talker passed away the evening of May 9, 2012.

Funeral procession will start at Desert View Funeral Home - Shiprock, NM  7am Wednesday 16, 2012

Samuel Tso, 89, a United States Military Veteran and Navajo Code Talker passed away the evening of May 9 at the San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington, New Mexico, surrounded by family members.

According to a Navajo Nation press release, Nation President Ben Shelly ordered the Navajo Nation flag to be flown at half-staff from May 10 – 14 to honor another heroic Code Talker and his services during World War II.

“The Navajo Nation has lost another Code Talker and that saddens my heart. The Code Talkers have brought great pride to our Nation and the loss of Samuel Tso saddens not only myself, his loss saddens the Navajo Nation. On behalf of the First Lady, the Vice President, and the Navajo people, we offer our prayers, condolences and words of encouragement to the Tso family. Samuel Tso was a true Navajo warrior,” Shelly said in the release.

Tso was born June 22, 1922, at Black Mountain, near Many Farms, Arizona and was Zuni Tachiinii and born for Nakai Dine’e. He often told stories about making up his birthdate to get jobs.

Tso was not one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers, but still played an integral role in the outcome of WWII.