A Lineage of Service

Courtesy Photo | Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Beck, an information technology technician with the Utah National Guard, is proud of his Navaho ancestry and sees his military service as an opportunity to carry on his code-talker grandfather’s legacy of service to his country.  

DRAPER, UT, UNITED STATES

11.23.2020

Courtesy Story

Utah National Guard Public Affairs

“My heritage has definitely impacted my perspective,” said Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Beck, reflecting on his career while at his office in Draper, Utah. Beck works full time for the Utah National Guard in the G6, and in his traditional Guard role, as the information technology supervisor for Utah Training Center.

Beck joined the military in 2005 while working as a state employee at the Utah Guard’s headquarters building. After advanced individual training, he got hired on as a dual-status technician. He is the only one in his family to serve in the military, however, the call to service was passed down from his grandfathers.

He has a grandfather who was in the Navy, a foster grandfather in the Air Force, and a grandfather who served in the Marines, as a code talker. He served as one of only 400 code talkers.

For more than 30 years, his grandfather, Calvin Holiday, could not tell his family he had served as a code talker. The program wasn’t unclassified until 1968. His family spent most of their lives not knowing his service and sacrifice.

Code talkers played a pivotal role during WWII and they contributed to many significant battles, including Utah Beach during the D-Day invasion and at Iwo Jima.

In celebrating Native American Heritage month, it makes him aware of his own service, and that of his lineage.

“It makes me think of my ancestors and where I come from, and I am proud,” Beck said.

Beck’s ancestry is Navajo, something he is very honored to be part of. Although he did not grow up on the reservation, it plays a huge role in his family dynamics. His mother was part of the Indian Placement Program, which put natives from the Navajo Nation with foster families. He is still very close to these cousins and spends a lot of time with them and also celebrating holidays with them.

This extended family allowed Beck a variety of examples to follow.

“I look up to my grandpas, for their service in the military. And they passed that mantle on to me. It is something I feel that I can contribute to. Seeing my grandpa as a code talker and doing all those amazing things, how can I not try to contribute to the same thing?”

• Date Taken: 11.23.2020
• Date Posted: 11.23.2020 13:18
• Story ID: 383582
• Location: DRAPER, UT, US