Jerry ClasChee Begay Sr. (December 8, 1924[1] – May 26, 2008) was an American World War II veteran and a member of the Navajo Code Talkers.
[1] He enlisted in the United States Marines when he was 17 years old while he was still a student at Fort Wingate High School.
He served in the Second Marine division, 297th Platoon, as a Navajo Code Talker during World War II.
[1][2] Begay began working at the Phelps Dodge Copper Mining Company in Morenci, Arizona, shortly after the end of World War II.
[2] Throughout his life, Begay remained active in the Navajo Code Talkers Association and the Disabled American Veterans.