Jonathan Joshua Yellowhorse, 38,
6’, coal black hair and dark eyes, was born on the Navaho
Reservation in Arizona. He is the great-grandson of one of
the original Navaho Code Talkers who gained fame during
World War II. He was educated in the Indian School System.
Excelling academically, he also showed an amazing aptitude
for electronics. At the end of his junior year of high
school, during a visit to a college fair, he met a
representative of the Virginia Military Institute.
Impressed with the cadet and with the opportunities, both
academically and financially, as well as the traditions that
the military college offered, he applied for, and gained,
admission. The fact that he was not bound to one particular
branch of service the entire time there, as well as the fact
that he could make his decision after a length of time
became the deciding factors over the regular service
academies.
Yellowhorse made it through
VMI’s infamous ‘Rat Line’ with such acclaim that his stoic
nature became legendary long after he graduated. After his
first year, he decided on the Navy as his career path and
opted for the NROTC track. He graduated cum laude and
entered active service immediately.
He served at numerous bases, the
most notable being San Diego and Great Lakes. It was at
Great Lakes that he met Jamal Baker. On several occasions,
the two ended up sharing quarters, and each admired the
other’s abilities.
During his time at San Diego, he became
acquainted with Caitlin Davis Crane while working on a
project for Admiral Jiggs Starke. He had heard about her
stepfather, Admiral Harriman Nelson, and yearned for the
chance to apply for a position aboard the Seaview.
It was not until the commissioning of the SSRN Nelson
that he finally got his chance to serve with the Nelson
Institute, a place he refers to as a ‘Nirvana for the best
of the best of Navy personnel |