To his children, he was Pa. His co-workers at Kennecott knew him as Ernie.
To the nation, Ernest Yazhe was a hero, part of an elite group of Marines known as Code Talkers, who in World War II transmitted battlefield messages in an unbreakable Navajo-based radio code.
Yazhe, a longtime Sandy resident, received full military honors at his funeral Tuesday at Utah Veterans Memorial Park. He died Jan. 12 of kidney failure at age 92.
"The Navajo Nation has suffered the loss of another great Navajo Code Talker. He was a hero and a brave warrior," said Navajo Nation Vice President Jonathan Nez.