Clayton B. Vogel
| Clayton Barney Vogel | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Barney" |
| Born |
September 18, 1882 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | November 26, 1964 (aged 82) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Buried | section 30 Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Marine Corps
|
| Years of service | 1904-1946 |
| Rank |
 Major General
|
| Unit | 2nd Marine Regiment, USS Nebraska (BB-14), USS Pocahontas (ID-3044), Nicargauan National Guard, Garde d'Haiti, Judge Advocate General Corps |
| Commands held | 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (United States), 2nd Marine Division (United States), Second Joint Training Force Pacific Fleet, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Major General Clayton Barney Vogel was a United States Marine Corps general who served in a variety of capacities from 1902 until 1946. He is best known for his support of the Navajo code talker program.
Vogel was born on 18 September 1882 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia His father, Theodore Knight Vogel was a founding member of the Loyal Legion and a Captain in the Union Army. He graduated from Rutgers University in 1904. He was commissioned into the Marine Corps in 1904.
On February 28, 1942, General Vogel tested the idea of the Navajo code talkers by "installing a telephone connection between two offices and wrote out six messages that were typical of those sent during combat. One of those messages read "Enemy expected to make tank and dive bomber attack at dawn." The Navajo managed to transmit the message almost verbatim: "Enemy tank dive bomber expected to attack this morning." The remaining messages were translated with similar proficiency, which duly impressed General Vogel.
On 6 March 1942, General Vogel wrote a letter to the Commandant of the Marine Corps Thomas Holcomb recommending the Navajo Code Talkers. The Navajo were recommended, in part, because Nazi Germany had not infiltrated the Navajo as they were the only "tribe that has not been infested with German students during the past twenty years. These Germans, studying the various tribal dialects under the guise of art students, anthropologists, etc., have undoubedtly obtained a good working knowledge of all tribal dialects except Navaho."
General Vogel was an hereditary Companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.
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