As one of the two last living Navajo code talkers who sent indecipherable messages that helped the United States win World War II, he had been upset when the Defense Department removed webpages earlier this week highlighting his efforts and those of other minority service members.

Hundreds of Navajos served as Code Talkers with the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, transmitting coded messages based on their Native language.

The Pentagon called the removal of Navajo Code Talker pages from its websites a “mistake,” vowing to restore content related to the Marines who helped win World War II.