Mount Rushmore National Memorial’s July 3 Independence Day celebration will have three special guests: Navajo code talkers from World War II. They will be honored during a ceremony at the memorial.

If you don’t know the story, it’s pretty interesting. During the war, these men communicated military information in their native tongue, a language that the enemy had no way to decipher. The code talkers — there were more than 400 at the time — have been praised for their role in the war, particularly the Battle of Iwo Jima.

According to the Code Talkers Association website, the Navajos’ unwritten language was understood by fewer than 20 non-Navajos at the time. “The size and complexity of the language made the code extremely difficult to comprehend much less decipher. It wasn’t until 1968 that the code became declassified by the U.S. Government.”

In 2002, their story was made into a movie, “Windtalkers,” starring Nicolas Cage and Adam Beach.

I wasn’t able to find out how many code talkers survive today, but these might be the last three.

Activities go on through much of the day at Mount Rushmore on July 3.  The highlight, of course, is the big fireworks display in the sky above the monument. It’s set to begin at 9:20. But if you’re planning to go, you better get there much, much earlier. The place fills up pretty fast.